Pokemon: The Conflict Within
by KingFatMan25
Summary: Ash Ketchum is an accomplished pokemon trainer but he has one fatal flaw...his lust for revenge. Follow Ash as he hunts down the man who destroyed his life and to see if his family and friends can keep him from making the wrong choices.
1. Chapter 1

**Pokemon: The Conflict Within**

**Here it is the first of my stories finally reposted…Enjoy**

Chapter 1

**Note: In this story Pokemon Trainers can't get their trainer license until they are the age of fifteen.**

Professor Samuel Oak sighed wearily as he finished typing his paper for a lecture he was going to be giving in a few hours. One of the many downsides of being a pokemon genius was that you often went with sleepless nights to achieve your work. Professor Oak glanced at the clock and groaned as it read 3:23 am. He saved his document and turned to get a warm cup of tea before going to bed. As he walked through his silent lab he stopped at the storage room that held all the pokeballs of trainers that had started their journeys from Pallet Town. His eyes drifted to a shelf on the left side of the wall that belonged to his grandson, Gary Oak.

Gary was an aspiring pokemon trainer but had the temper and ego of a Salamence. His grandson was very smart when it came to pokemon but he could stand to lose a few battles in order to take his arrogance down a notch. Samuel looked to the right side of the room and saw another set of shelves with a good collection of pokemon. These belonged to the other two trainers from Pallet that had started their journeys within the last season.

The one with the least amount of pokeballs belonged to a girl named Leaf Green. Leaf was a kind hearted girl and at the age of fifteen she could pass for a young woman. Professor Oak chuckled as he remembered all the times that Gary would try to make passes at her only to be shot down quickly or physically hurt by Leaf's best friend…Ash Ketchum.

Professor Oak cringed lightly at the thought of the name and sadly glanced at the final shelf that belonged to said trainer. The shelves were had a nice collection for a beginning trainer but the contents were what had Oak worried. Ash's childhood wasn't a happy one to say the least. While he had the support of his Mother and friends, the one person that Ash idolized more than anyone was his father…and he wasn't in the picture. When Ash was ten years old his mother Delia Ketchum had gotten a letter in the mail with an envelope. The young man watched as his mother read the note and then quickly opened the envelope only to start crying. Ash had picked up the file that had fallen out and saw words on the top of the paper that still haunted him to this day…Notice of Divorce.

Ash's father Red Ketchum had been on a pokemon journey to become the master of the league but felt that his family was holding him back so he cut all ties with them. That day changed Ash for the worse.

Since that day he has been a cold person and very rarely showed any emotion. His mother and Leaf are the only two that can get him to open up about anything and even that is a battle in its self. Outside of his personal life, Ash was a natural at pokemon battles and this made him a rising star in the eyes of the Kanto Region. His quick and powerful victories had gained him the title of the Prince of Pallet but due to Ash's cold persona it was dropped for a new title…The Assassin of Kanto.

This title came from Ash's nature of disappearing for weeks at a time before he would suddenly reappear out of nowhere and score countless victories over trainers. As soon as he would beat a certain number he would disappear again. Currently Ash was suppose to be on his way home from his one sided victory at the Kanto League. The competition had been nothing more than a walk in the park for the trainer and with his team at his side he quickly destroyed the competition.

Professor Oak sighed as he decided to forgo the tea and try to get a few hours of sleep. Climbing into his bed, Samuel's last thought was on the Pallet Town trainer and what he would bring.

*PTCW*

A stunningly beautiful girl smiled happily as she surveyed the town below. Her brown hair gently swayed in the wind before coming to rest on the small of her back and around her face. Her blue eyes sparkled as she caught sight of her home that sat at the edge of the town. She wore a blue sleeveless tank top that showed her curves and a red skirt that revealed her perfect legs. On her head was a white hat with a red half circle by the brim and on her feet she wore red and white sneakers with blue socks.

The young woman was known as Leaf Green and she was returning home from her travels in the Kanto Region. Her smile widened as she turned and looked behind her, "Let's go Ashy, we are almost home!"

A cool voice spoke and sent shivers down her spine, "You know, your happiness gets very annoying at times."

Leaf smirked, "You love me anyway." A light smile played the lips of the voice's owner as he stepped out of the shade. He was dress in black jeans and black leather boots. He donned a simple white tee shirt and a black dress shirt over it, the top buttons undone. From his neck was a long black cape with a dark blue interior and a hood on the back. His raven black hair was in an untamable mess but held a mature look to it. His amber colored eyes met the blue ones of his closest friend, "Even if I do that doesn't mean that I have to like every aspect about you."

Leaf let out a whinny voice, "Ashy that isn't very nice!"

The male teen chuckled lightly and turned his gaze at the town, "It's been a long time I hope mom is ok."

Leaf walked over and gently took her best friends hand, "She is fine Ash…Delia is a strong woman and she has you to thank for that." Leaf noticed her friend's demeanor change, "I wouldn't have had to help so much if _he_ hadn't left us."

Ash's voice was cold and would have frozen a volcano had they been near one, "When I find that poor excuse of a person I will show him what true power is all about."

Leaf sighed sadly as Ash ranted about his father. It was one subject that she knew better than to bring up around him and for this very reason. Ash growled before selecting a pokeball from his belt and tossing it over his shoulder. From the capsule appeared a massive blue dragon with red wings. Two spikes protruded from each side of its head and a single scar ran down the right eye. Ash jumped onto the back of his starter pokemon Salamence and patted the beast, "The only thing he did right was giving you to me as a Bagon." The dragon let a snort go as he agreed.

Leaf stepped back slightly, "Ashy you know I don't like flying, even if it is on Salamence."

Ash wasn't about to let Leaf start one of her rants so he turned, "Fine walk."

With a roar, Salamence flapped his massive wings and took off towards the country side of Pallet. Leaf watched them go before she processed what had just happened, "ASH SATOSHI KETCHUM YOU HAD BETTER COME BACK AND GET ME!"

The only sound she heard as she ran after them was a roar from a dragon…laughing.

*PTCW*

In a small house white house with brown roofing was a young woman with long brown hair and deep chocolate brown eyes. She wore a simple pink tee shirt and a pair of form fitting blue jeans as she walked around her kitchen preparing for the evening meal. The woman smiled lightly as she glanced at a few photos that sat on a shelf near the kitchen table. The first one was of her son as a nine year old boy playing with his Bagon; the little dragon was running away with her son's favorite blanket. The second picture was with her son and his best friend at the age of 11. The two of them had birthdays on the same week so they always celebrated at the same time. The two kids were feeding each other cake and in the next photo it showed them shoving the cake into each other's faces. The final picture was taken about six months ago when her son had come home to visit. It showed her son and her in front of the house.

Delia Ketchum couldn't help but feel sad at the changes in her Ash since those days of a child. Granted his childhood wasn't the happiest but there were rare occasions that he did smile and she had gotten everyone of them on film. She turned back to the meal she was preparing and got lost in thought until the house shook from something massive landing in the back yard. Delia looked up to see a Salamence looking in through the window with a small grin playing its face. Delia's eyes widened as she saw the scar and knew who was home. Dropping her spoon she ran outside and into the embrace of her now sixteen year old son.

Ash smiled his first true smile in a long time as he held onto his mother. The two of them stayed like this for what seemed like an eternity before slowly pulling apart, "Ash I'm so happy to see you home…how are you feeling?"

Ash smiled as he returned Salamence and led his mom back inside, "I'm perfectly alright mom; it's you I'm worried about."

Delia smiled warmly at her son, "Ash I have told you a thousand times that I am fine. Between you and Professor Oak I have nothing to worry about."

Ash nodded before he set down a large duffle bag he had been carrying, "I thought you would like to see my results." Ash pulled open the zipper and pulled a large golden trophy out from the bad. At the top was an image of the three legendary birds clasping a ring with the eight badges of Kanto inscribed on it.

Delia's eyes widened, "You won?" Ash nodded and his mother engulfed him in another massive hug. "Ash I am so proud of you! I am so glad you have started your own life and are achieving so much."

Ash hugged his mother tighter and whispered into her ear, "I love you too mom." The two shared another tender moment before Delia took the trophy and set it on the mantel.

"Dear I thought you were traveling with Leaf…where is she?" Before Ash could answer, the front door slammed open and a very angry looking brunette was stomping her way over to Ash.

Ash smirked lightly but kept his mouth shut, "Ashton Satoshi Ketchum I told you to turn around and come get me but what do you do? You keep flying and force me to run here. I don't know why we are friends I can't stand your arrogant nature and stuck up…."

Leaf was stopped when Ash pulled her to him and kissed her lightly on the lips. Leaf blushed before she jumped back, "What have I told you about doing that!"

Ash chuckled, "It shuts you up doesn't it?" Leaf blushed and looked at the ground mumbling to herself.

Delia suppressed a giggle as she remembered the teen's childhood. Leaf would always want to play dress up or house and this would lead to her being the mommy and Ash the daddy. The downside is that she and Ash had to be 'married' more than once and Leaf insisted upon kissing. Ash would always throw the biggest fit until he finally gave in. It was funny to see that it was now Ash doing the kissing and Leaf being so embarrassed.

Delia took this as a good sign in hope that the girl she looked at as a daughter would soon become one by marrying Ash.

Ash turned away from his blushing friend, "So what's for dinner mom?"

Delia giggled, "Ash you never change do you?" Her usually cold son smiled, "Never will when it comes to you mom."

Delia smiled, "It's all of your favorites."

This brought Leaf out of her temporary stun, "Oh my gosh, I forgot to stop at home first…I will be back in time for dinner Delia. Bye Ashy!" Ash groaned and face-palmed as his best friend raced out the door but not before winking and saying her pet name for him.

Delia smiled, "The sooner you admit you love her the sooner you can get to making me some grandbabies."

Ash looked at his mom and shook his head, having heard this a thousand times, "Not going to happen mother."

Delia chuckled, "Go take a shower and relax, dinner will be ready soon." Ash nodded and kissed his mother on the cheek before walking up to his room.

*PTCW*

Leaf walked slowly as she neared her house while she was lost in thought about her best friend. This wasn't the first time he had kissed her but each time he did it, it only fanned the flames within her heart. Leaf wouldn't lie about her feelings but she wasn't about to risk losing Ash over them either. Sure, he was cold and ruthless in battles but behind that he was a true gentleman, handsome, powerful, and his attitude about only spending money on the things he needed left him rather wealthy. Leaf often found herself dreaming of what their lives would be like if they were a couple and the one thing she always thought about was seeing Ash happy and no longer looking for revenge.

The beautiful brunette stopped and looked up to see her childhood home and quickly walked in, "Mom, Dad, I'm home!" The sound of rushing feet filled her ears before she found herself in the tight embrace of her mother, "Leaf I'm so proud of you!"

Leaf struggled against her mother's legendary hug and only got away thanks to a deep voice, "Let her go Violet I would like to see my daughter before you suffocate her."

Leaf turned to see a strong looking man with a military style hair cut and a stern looking face. His piercing blue eyes showed how happy he was compared to his emotionless face. Leaf ran over to the man and hugged him, "Hi Daddy."

The man known as Jonathan Green smiled down at his daughter, "I'm so proud of you baby girl, getting into the quarter finals in your first league isn't an easy task."

Leaf snorted, "May have been good but Ash was much better."

Violet Green giggled from behind her hand, "Sweetheart just because Ash won doesn't mean you aren't a strong trainer. I'm sure once the two of you start dating he will help you train more."

Leaf blushed a deep shade of red as she was reminded of the kiss. "It's not going to happen mom."

Violet brushed a strand of light brown hair out of her face, "What happened now?" John nodded in agreement as the family sat down, "tell us baby girl."

Leaf smiled at her father's pet name for her, "Ash was being his usual self and flew off on Salamence."

Her mother smiled, "He made you walk again didn't he?" Leaf nodded, "When I finally got to his house I ripped into him about being arrogant but he kiss me and left me speechless."

John chuckled as he remembered using the same tactic on his wife, "Leaf you know I want what's best for you…in all honesty I don't want you dating till you are at least thirty." Leaf giggled, "But I know that's not the case. I realize that Ash has had a troubled past but I'd rather you date him than someone I don't know."

Leaf remained silent as she processed the information, "So what should I do Dad? I mean, Ash isn't really the touchy feely kind of guy."

Violet spoke up, "He is with you dear."

Leaf rolled her eyes but knew it was true; she was the only one that Ash would willingly come into physical contact with outside of his own mother and pokemon.

John looked at his daughter, "Give him time baby girl. I know that boy likes you but he is a guy so he won't realize it until the last possible moment."

Leaf nodded and decided it was time to change the subject. She reached into her pack and pulled out a small light blue trophy made of crystal, "This was presented to all the trainers who achieved the top sixteen. Since I was in the top five I got a bonus prize of ten thousand dollars."

Her parent's eyes widened at the amount. Since John was a trainer himself the family was not unfamiliar with the profit a trainer could achieve but getting that much at one time was very rare. "What are you going to do with that money dear?" Leaf smiled, "Ash already took care of it for me. He had me set up a bank account when we first left on our journey and anything I earned from battles I put in there."

Her parents nodded their approval, "So what would you like for dinner sweet heart?"

Leaf thought, "I was going to go to the Ketchum's for dinner but I'm still not too pleased with Ash right now. Let's go out to that steak house you guys like so much." Her parents smiled and the family got up to get ready.

*PTCW*

The next couple of days went by rather quickly for the trainers of Pallet. Leaf gave Ash the silent treatment for a whole three hours before she called him to make sure that he wasn't doing anything dangerous. Her friend simple chuckled and told her that he was doing what he usually did during the day…training.

Leaf groaned but told her crush that she would be over in a few hours to join in. Leaf was almost to the Oak research facility when she heard a bunch of people laughing and talking. As she got closer she noticed a large number of cars around the facility and looked up to see a banner that read, '_Congratulations Gary!_

Leaf groaned as she realized that the big-headed fool was having a party to celebrate getting into the top sixteen. Gary may be a talented trainer but he was nothing compared to Ash's caliber. Leaf walked through the crowd until she found Professor Oak, "Morning Professor have you seen Ash?" The elderly man turned at the sound of his name and smiled upon seeing Leaf, "Leaf it's great to see you! I must congratulate you on your success at the Kanto League."

Leaf blushed at the praise but nodded in thanks, "As for Ash, he was here about a half hour ago to collect some of his pokemon but he went off onto the ranch since I'm using his normal trainer grounds for Gary's party. I'm surprised the two of you didn't show up sooner."

Leaf tilted her head, "Ash and I weren't invited sir." Professor Oak sighed at the foolish rivalry that Gary thought he had with Ash, "I'm sorry Leaf but don't worry…you and Ash are always welcome here unless I tell you."

Leaf smiled and then waved as she ran off, "I have to find Ash…we are training later." Professor Oak nodded, "Have fun and be safe!"

*PTCW*

Leaf walked towards the pokemon reserve on the Oak ranch and smirked as she looked up and saw a small pillar of smoke suddenly rise up. She giggled lightly as she realized that Ash was in full training mode. She continued walking and was lost in her thoughts until she heard a voice that made her cringe in annoyance, "Hey there beautiful want some company?"

Leaf turned and saw Gary Oak walking up to her in all of his arrogant pride. His outfit was the same as it had been during their journey through Kanto. It consisted of a simple purple long sleeved shirt and a pair of blue jeans. His fingers fiddled with the gold and black yin-yang symbol that hung around his neck as he smiled confidently. "So what do you say? Walking with a big time pokemon trainer could do you some good…might pick up a few things including a boyfriend."

Leaf growled as she clenched her hands into fists, "Look Gary, I got farther than you did and Ash won the whole competition so if anyone learns anything it will be you."

Gary waved his hand at Leaf's comment, "He won on a fluke. That loser never had the chance to face me in a battle to find out which of us is better."

Leaf rolled her blue eyes, "Listen Oak, the sooner you realize that I'm not interested, the better off my life will be."

Garry chuckled as they came to a clearing, "Not a chance sweetheart…Gary Oak always gets what he wants and…" Gary was cut off by a cold voice, "And Gary Oak appears to be needing a lesson in manners…Leaf told you to get lost."

Gary and Leaf turned to see Ash sitting on a massive dragon with a sneer that could freeze a Magmar.

Leaf inwardly sighed as her best friend arrived on the scene but kept her face void of emotion to not let Ash know that he saved her.

Gary was looking at the dragon with a sense of fear and awe but his arrogant pride got the better of him, "Hey there Ashy-boy, I see you have a big pokemon now, maybe you will actually amount to something."

Ash's Salamence growled deep in its throat and let a ring of smoke and embers flare from its nose. Ash glared at Gary, "You have three seconds to apologize to Leaf and Salamence before I sick him on you."

Gary backed away slightly, "You wouldn't have the guts and besides, using a pokemon to intentionally harm a human is illegal."

Ash's eyes flashed in anger, "Hyper Beam." Salamence roared and launched a powerful red and orange beam from its maw right over Gary's head. The attack slammed into the trees and caused a massive explosion that shook the area.

Gary jumped up covered in a layer of dust, "YOU IDIOT YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!"

Ash looked at Salamence, "You missed." His dragon growled in amusement before turning its eyes back to Gary.

Leaf stood up from the ground and brushed off some dust, "Gary just get out of here." The younger Oak was about to respond but the sound of yells made him look up. Professor Oak and several of the guests ran into the clearing only to stop in shock at the sight of the dragon before them. At the sight of the crater in the ground Oak looked to Ash, "What in the blue blazes are you doing Ash?"

Ash didn't look at the crowd but continued glaring at Gary, "Teaching your grandson what happens when he messes with the wrong people."

Professor Oak groaned and rubbed his eyes, "Gary have you been harassing Leaf again?"

Gary turned, "No, I was talking to her about the league and then Mr. Paranoid comes out of nowhere with that dragon and attacks me…what kind of pokemon is that anyway?"

A stockier man next to Professor Oak walked up, "That my boy is a Salamence…one of the six pseudo legendary pokemon in our world."

Ash looked to the man, "You are Professor Birch are you not?"

The man nodded and smiled, "Indeed I am Mr. Ketchum." Ash hissed, "Don't call me that. My name is Ash or use my battle name of Silverline."

The Hoenn professor nodded, "Forgive me I didn't mean to offend. Might I inquire how a starting trainer obtained a Salamence their first region?"

Ash shrugged, "Ask Professor Oak I'm done talking." Ash reached down and lifted Leaf onto the back of Salamence before he took off.

Professor Oak looked at his fellow researcher, "Salamence is Ash's starter pokemon." Birch gapped, "How is that possible?"

Gary walked over, not liking that Ash had such a rare and powerful pokemon, "And where can I get one?"

Samuel sighed, "Long story short Ash got Salamence as a Bagon from his father when he was nine and it evolved in his care. He is Ash's closest guarded secret and most powerful pokemon."

Gary sneered, "If it was so powerful then why didn't he use it at the Kanto League?"

Professor Oak looked at his grandson, "Because he didn't need it. Ash will only use Salamence as a last resort."

Gary scrunched up his face, "Then why keep it? If he isn't going to use it in battle why have the thing around at all?"

Samuel sighed, "That is something that only Ash can answer."

*PTCW*

Ash and Leaf flew for fifteen minutes before either one said a word. "Thanks."

Ash simply nodded his head slightly as he banked his dragon to a slightly to the left. "Who were you training?"

Leaf's friend spoke in a much softer tone than he had with Gary, "The whole team…I can't have them getting out of sync while we are stopping back here. I want them in tip top shape for the Johto League."

Leaf felt her heart drop slightly, "So does that mean you are leaving soon?"

Ash nodded sharply, "That's where my senses are telling me to go next."

Leaf struggled with her words before she softly spoke, "What does your heart tell you?"

Ash sighed as he knew where this conversation was heading, "It still doesn't tell me anything Leaf…I really wish you would stop bringing this up."

Leaf nodded sadly as Salamence landed close to her home, "I will see you tomorrow."

Ash kissed her cheek and flew off leaving his best friend behind.

**And the first chapter is up.**

**This is a combined story of all my ideas and then some….the main basis is a very dark Ash story on the lookout for revenge.**

**And ideas and suggestions would be helpful.**

**Again, this chapter is dedicated to Mind-Slaver.**

**Send in ideas and reviews**

**KingFatMan25**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Over the course of the next two weeks, Pallet Town was treated to the sounds of pokemon battling in the woods nearby. The town Sheriff had been called several times about the sightings of a large dragon flying around. Normally he wouldn't have investigated the matter but when people couldn't identify the beast as a Charizard or the legendary Dragonite he went to Professor Oak for answers. The Professor simply waved it off saying that it wasn't a threat to the town or the people.

Of course…we know the identity of said dragon.

Salamence was currently resting on the ground as he watched his human train the other members of their team. The first was a large green mantas like but with scythe like arms. Scyther had been Ash's first capture in Viridian forest which in itself was amazing considering how rare the elusive pokemon was in this part of Kanto.

The second pokemon was a brown bipedal creature with a fox like appearance. The pokemon held two silver spoons and had the presence of a wise sage.

The next pokemon that was standing near Alakazam was a yellow and black creature with two antennas and a long cat like tail. Ash's Electabuzz was sending bolts of lightning at a large black dragon with a flame at the tip of its muscular tail. Near the water stood a large pokemon with a single drill like horn, the pokemon was being pelted with water attacks from two others.

The first was a beautiful blue dragon with a single horn and gem on its head along with two feathers like ears. The other pokemon was a tall and skinny with two blades instead of hands. Rhydon groaned under the pressure from the attacks before he slammed his legs down, giving the signal to stop. The final two pokemon consisted of a dark purple pokemon that had spikes running down its back and a sinister grin; and a large bodied pokemon with dark blue and cream colored fur, that had the appearance of a panda bear.

Salamence looked up to see his human walking over with Alakazam, "Hey there bud, you up for a little flying?"

Salamence groaned and put his head on his front legs. Ash rolled his eyes and looked at Alakazam, "Someone is being lazy today."

The psychic type chuckled before speaking via telepathy, "_With how much you train us it isn't a surprise that we want a break now and then."_

Ash shrugged, "I figured he would want a simple fly…didn't realize that was such a difficult task."

Salamence growled in his throat which caused Ash to chuckle. Alakazam sat down in a meditative position and looked at his master, "_We could work on your psychic exercises." _

Ash thought a moment before nodding and bracing himself as he began to draw upon his powers. Alakazam took a breath before his eyes flared with a blue energy. The pokemon flare his power and sent the attack towards his master. Ash felt the psychic energies take over his body and closed his eyes. Focusing his mind, Ash called upon his mental powers before his eyes snapped open to reveal a bright blue glow. His eyes flared before he sent a blast of equal power towards Alakazam. Both figures started to sweat as their minds battled for dominance against the other. Ash brought his hand up and flicked his wrist, causing his pokemon to stumble to the left. Alakazam growled and brought both of his silver spoons up and sent an amplified blast of energy. Ash braced himself for the attack but was thrown back.

Cutting off his power, the young trainer got up and brushed off some dust, "Was that necessary?"

The psychic pokemon shrugged, "_You got past my first level of defense so…yes it was. Look at the bright side Master; you are getting much more powerful."_

Ash nodded and looked to the rest of his pokemon, "Alright guys bring it in." The group of ten pokemon came over, "I'm pleased with the progress you all have made over the last two weeks. We will be going to the Johto Region next and I want nothing but perfection." His pokemon roared in agreement before Ash returned them and started for home.

*PTCW*

On his walk home Ash decided to visit Leaf as it had been three days since they had seen each other. The teen arrived at Leaf's house and knocked on the door three times before waiting. The door opened and Ash found himself in the tight embrace of Violet Green. "Hello Mrs. Green." Ash's voice was muffled as she was hugging him to her chest.

Violet giggled, "Ash, how many times must I tell you to call me Violet? And you should know by now that you don't have to knock when at our house. We have known you since you were born."

Ash nodded and cleared his throat, still trying to get over his embarrassment of being face first into his best friend's mother's chest. "I know but out of respect for you and your family I will continue to do so."

Violet smiled, "Oh you are such a gentleman…you must have all the ladies wanting you."

Ash blushed lightly before regaining his composure, "They are fan-girls and nothing more. All they want is the fame and fortune that comes with me."

Leaf's mother smiled weakly, "Leaf doesn't look at you like that." Ash smiled at the mention of his best friend, "I know, I don't know what I'd do without her." Ash looked up at the stairs leading to Leaf's room, "I'll go find her now."

Violet smirked slyly, "Use a condom please."

Ash stumbled up the stairs, "What?" His friend's mother giggled, "Nothing dear, Leaf is in her room." Ash nodded in thanks before he quickly walked up to find his friend.

*PTCW*

He found his friend lying on her bed listening to music, one of her favorite pastimes. Her legs were bent at the knees and kicked in time with the beat as she was on her stomach. Ash felt his eyes wonder a long her legs and up to her nice backside. His mouth went dry and he had to lick his lips as her skirt shifted and he caught a glimpse of her light blue panties. Ash shook his head as he remembered that this was his best friend. He walked over and gently sat down on her bed, making Leaf turn at the sudden shift in her mattress. The teen smiled brightly at the sight of her friend, "hey you, when did you get here?"

Ash waited as Leaf paused the song she was listening to, "Been here about ten minutes."

Leaf nodded as she shifted so she was sitting with her knees under her. "Mom was beginning to think we had a massive fight."

Ash chuckled, "If you mean giving me the silent treatment for a few hours then that counts."

Leaf pointed at her friend, "If you hadn't made me walk this wouldn't have happened."

Ash shrugged, "It will keep you from gaining weight."

Leaf's eyes narrowed, "Did you just call me fat?" Before Ash could respond, Leaf pounced on him and pinned him to the bed, "Say you are sorry!"

Ash smirked, "Never." Leaf squeaked as she was flipped and pinned with Ash's hands dangerously close to her stomach. Her eyes widened, "Ashton Satoshi Ketchum if you move a finger you will get it!"

Her best friend's smiled grew, "You said finger…not fingers."

With that, Ash started tickling Leaf without mercy. Leaf squealed as she started laughing, "ASH STOP!" Ash chuckled as he continued his assault, "Who is the best?" Leaf growled as she tried to stop herself from talking but after a full minute of tickling she yelled out, "Ash is the best!"

Ash laughed and lay back on Leaf's bed as she groaned and put her head on his chest, "I hate you sometimes."

Her friend chuckled and kissed her head, "Love you too." He paused a moment as they settled down. "So I'm going to Johto in a few weeks."

Leaf turned her head so she could look at Ash, "So soon?"

Ash nodded, "The league starts in a month so I want to be under way before then."

Leaf sighed, "Then that means I won't see you for a while."

Her friend looked down at her, "You aren't coming?" Leaf shrugged, "I don't know yet Ash, let me think on it okay?"

Ash nodded and grabbed the remote before turning on the TV. One of Ash and Leaf's favorite things to do was cuddle and watch a movie. It reminded them of how much they meant to each other even if they didn't want to admit it. Ash stopped on the Pokemon Entertainment channel and saw the headliner… 'Interview with a Champion.' "This could be interesting." Leaf nodded from her spot on Ash's chest.

"_We bring you live from Mount Silver with Champion Red Ketchum and a very rare opportunity to interview this all powerful champion."_

Leaf's eyes widened as she heard the name and quickly glanced up at Ash. His eyes were cold and his grip tightened around her waist. Leaf knew this was his way of trying to prevent a massive outburst so she simply wrapped her arms around him.

"_Champion Ketchum has been the leader of the Johto Elite Four for three years now, allowing the Kanto and Johto Regions to finally have separate branches. He can usually be found in the dangerous caves around Mount Silver and only comes out when a challenger manages to reach him inside." _The reporter turned to a man around six feet with dark raven hair and a rugged face. He was wearing a simple red jacket and cap along with blue jeans.

"_Champion Ketchum thank you for letting us do this interview with you. To start things off I have to ask, what is your opinion of the winners of this year's pokemon leagues?" _

Red thought a moment, "_They are all fine young trainers and anyone of them would make a worthy challenge once they train up a bit." _

The reporter nodded, "_What of this legend that has come from Kanto…Eclipse Silverline or as he is being called, The Assassin of Kanto." _

Red seemed to straighten up, "_I watched this young man's battles and he is very skilled, there is no doubt about it. I have heard rumors that he has yet to reveal his starter pokemon in battle which means it is probably something rare and powerful."_

The reporter pulled out a picture, "_So you are saying that the shiny Charizard in his possession isn't his starter?"_

Red shook his head, "_I don't believe so. Pokemon Trainers have a unique bond with their starter pokemon and the way this young man acted with the Charizard suggests otherwise. Not that I'm saying he doesn't care for his pokemon, that was shown during his battles but I do not believe it to be his starter."_

The reporter went on, "_So what do you think his starter could be?" _

Red paused, "_I don't know. It could be anything from a Pidgey he befriended or a pokemon from a different region. All kinds of possibilities are out there but if the boy proves himself a winner then I shall see him soon enough."_ The reporter turned back to the camera, "_And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, the Champion of Johto has basically issued a challenge to all pokemon trainers. Prove yourself and you shall meet him soon enough."_

The TV turned off and left the two friends in silence. Leaf knew that Ash was in a bad mood but needed to make sure he was alright, "Ash?" Her friend looked at her, "Are you alright?"

Ash sighed, "I have to defeat him Leaf…I have to destroy everything he has. After all these years he doesn't recognize his only son and clearly he isn't worried about us."

Leaf felt her heart sink as she saw the fires of revenge light in Ash's eyes, "I will win the Johto League and destroy Red Ketchum."

Ash's best friend nodded sadly put her head back onto his chest, "Then you won't be doing it alone."

Ash looked down at her, "What?" Leaf looked up, "I'm not about to let you travel a strange region with revenge on your mind without someone to keep you in line."

Ash smiled lightly and pulled her closer, "What would I do without you." Leaf didn't answer but simple snuggled closer to her closest friend and the two of them fell into a comfortable sleep.

*PTCW*

Another week went by before Ash decided to leave. His mother was less than pleased at his sudden departure but knew that he was a Pokemon Trainer and this was his dream. Leaf's mother and father agreed to let her go as long as she stayed with Ash and much to Leaf's embarrassment, that the two of them become a couple before they return home.

Ash decided to only take four pokemon with him and leave the rest at Professor Oak's lab. He brought Salamence, Alakazam, Dragonair, and Electabuzz, leaving the rest to be called upon at a later time. Ash decided that him and Leaf would fly to New Bark Town and then continue on foot. The Ketchum and Green family got together along with Professor Oak to wish them good luck, "We will be fine and I will make sure that Ash calls at least weekly."

Ash mock glared at his best friend but nodded in agreement, "I promise I will mom."

Delia hugged her son with tears in her eyes, "I know you will but I can't stop you from doing what you love. Make me prouder than I already am."

Ash nodded again before jumping onto Salamence's back. Leaf climbed on behind Ash and wrapped her arms around his waist, "We will call in a few days, love you all!"

With a mighty push of his wings, Salamence lifted off into the sky and turned towards the Johto Region.

*PTCW*

The trio made good time and arrived at Indigo Plateau within a couple hours of steady flying. Ash landed his dragon for a quick lunch break and to allow the pseudo legendary a rest. With the help of Salamence, Ash quickly got a fire going and soon the aroma of food filled everyone's noses. Ash and Leaf sat down with their meals only after feeding their pokemon, "Hey Ash what kind of pokemon are you going to capture in Johto?"

Leaf's friend shrugged as he took a drink of water, "In all honesty Leaf there isn't much in the Johto Region that I find worthy of my time. I'm for sure going to get a Larvitar but if I have to get anything else I might get a Murkrow so I can evolve it, an Umbreon, a Gligar for a Gliscor and finally a Larvitar." Ash paused a moment before he spoke again, "And should the opportunity present itself I will try and capture the legendary beasts."

Leaf's eyes widened, "You think you are powerful enough? I heard the Entei has the ability to summon volcanos with the sound of its roar."

Ash smirked, "I will never know until I try. What about you?"

Leaf thought, "I will go for anything I guess. I would really like to add another starter pokemon to my collection but I am for sure going to evolve my Seadra when I get the chance."

Ash nodded in approval, "It's a good choice being part dragon it is resistant to a large number of attacks."

Leaf rolled her eyes, "Do you ever think about anything other than pokemon?"

Ash smirked, "Do Charizards breathe fire?"

His best friend groaned and went back to her food. Ash chuckled lightly as he gazed in the direction of Mount Silver knowing that his father was somewhere on the mountain. Leaf noticed his gaze and decided it was time to move on, "Let's go Ash." Bringing Salamence out the two teens jumped on and continued towards New Bark Town.

*PTCW*

A couple hours later, the dragon landed in front of a large building that resembled a lab. Ash returned his faithful dragon and stepped inside with Leaf close behind. Ash's first impression of the room was a disaster. Piles of papers and books were all over and files were scattered on the floor. A low humming sound could be heard from behind a massive pile of papers, "Hello?" The sounds of a man jumping and falling out of a chair filled their ears. A few seconds later a meek looking man with glasses and wearing a lab coat walked out, "Oh hello there, what can I do for you?"

Ash sighed, "Are you Professor Elm?" The man smiled and nodded while puffing his chest up slightly, "Indeed I am and I assume you are the two trainers from Pallet Town that Professor Oak called me about?"

Ash nodded, "Yes sir, I am Ash Ketchum and this is my best friend Leaf."

The researcher's eyes widened at the sight of Ash, "My word you are the Kanto Champion!" Ash nodded his head slightly while Leaf smirked, "It is an honor to meet a trainer of your talent and on your first league too."

Professor Elm turned and attempted to straighten his desk out, "You will have to forgive the mess I was in the middle of writing an important document on the research of pokemon evolution."

Leaf smiled, "No problem Professor, Ash's room is just as bad if not worse."

Her friend glared, "It is not…I keep my room in perfect condition." Leaf giggled and rolled her eyes, "Whatever, so Professor we are to register for the Johto League."

Elm smiled brightly, "Excellent I can do that…but I'm sorry to say that I only have one starter pokemon available."

Ash raised his eyebrow, "What do you mean? We already have our starter pokemon."

Elm nodded, "I know but when the Pokemon League changed the starting age to fifteen the breeders who supplied us with our starter pokemon couldn't just shut down their breeding facilities so there was a surplus of starter pokemon. The Pokemon League stated that any trainer starting a new region, regardless of the fact if they already had a starter pokemon, could so choose to obtain one from the region they went to next."

Ash thought for a moment, "And when you finally run out of starter pokemon?"

Elm smiled, "Then we shall simply go back to the old way of doing things but until that time consider yourself lucky." The Professor turned and retrieved a pokeball and activated it. From the flash of light came a small bluish and cream colored pokemon. It had a long snout and four stubby legs. The pokemon yawned, "Quil!"

Professor Elm picked up the small pokemon, "This is a Cyndaquil the fire type starter of the Johto Region."

Leaf clapped her hands to the sides of her face, "Oh my gosh aren't you the cutest little thing!" She walked over and started petting the mouse like pokemon."

Ash looked at it and pulled out his black pokedex, "Hmm, let's see…Cyndaquil…called the fire mouse pokemon…specializes in speed and special attack. No notable attacks until level nineteen when it has already evolved."

The little fire type glared at Ash and puffed up its chest before flames erupted from its back and it sent a stream of little embers at Ash. The trainer backed up and wrapped his cloak around him before glaring at the little pokemon, "Rather bold for a usually timid pokemon."

Cyndaquil turned its nose at him and snuggled into Leaf's chest. Professor Elm was currently looking at Ash's cloak, "I'm impressed Ash is this resistant to other elements?"

Ash nodded, "Fire, water, electric, ice, and it keeps me warm against the winter." Leaf groaned, "And you don't share."

Ash looked at her, "you would literally have to lie on top of me in order for me to wrap it around us both." Leaf squeaked and blushed deeply as she turned her attention back to Cyndaquil.

Looking at the Professor Ash smirked, "The cloak was rumored to have been owned by an Aura Guardian long ago and his Aura powers made the material resistant to most damage…my limited psychic abilities only enhanced this."

Professor Elm gaped, "You are a psychic?"

Ash nodded, "Nothing major just the ability to sense when someone is sneaking up on me and communicate with a couple of my pokemon."

The Professor's mouth dropped farther, "Does Professor Oak know about this?"

Ash nodded slightly, "I would appreciate if it is kept quiet…I don't want any more attention."

Professor Elm nodded, "Not to worry Ash, now then about Cyndaquil…it would seem that she has already chosen a trainer."

The dark trainer looked at the little fire type, "So it would seem…looks like you have another pokemon Leaf."

The teen looked up and smiled brightly, "Are you sure you don't want her Ash?"

Her best friend shook his head and turned his attention to the window, pretending to forget the little fire type. Cyndaquil didn't like being ignored so she wiggled out of Leaf's arms and landed behind Ash. She opened her little mouth and let loose another stream of embers at Ash's head. The trainer under attack flinched before he glared at the little mouse that was looking around the room.

"I'm positive I don't want her."

Leaf giggled and returned the little fire type, "Thank you Professor Elm."

The man nodded and turned to Ash, "I feel bad that I don't have a pokemon for you." Ash waved it off, "I prefer to capture my own pokemon anyway."

The Professor was silent for a moment before he snapped his fingers and ran out of the room. The two teens waited for a few minutes before Elm made his return with a capsule containing an egg. "Ash this is a pokemon egg that I a friend of mine gave me for my research but it hasn't hatched since I have had it. I was wondering if you could help me…I want you to take this egg and help me with a little research. I have theory that pokemon eggs will only hatch when they are under the care of a trainer of a breeder."

Leaf raised her eyebrow, "That doesn't make sense they are raised in the wild all the time."

Elm nodded, "Oh yes I am well aware of this but I mean when breeding facilities go out of business they usually have eggs left over and so the eggs are stored in medical units until we use them. During the normal time these eggs don't hatch but when they are taken home and constantly cared for they hatch. My plan is to prove that it is the bond between the pokemon developing inside and the being taking care of it that lets it hatch."

Ash looked at the container and shrugged, "I guess I can take it for you. Are you going to want it back?"

Professor Elm shook his head, "No, when the pokemon hatches simply call me and let me know where you are and how long it took."

Ash nodded and placed the egg aside before handing over his pokedex which caused Leaf to do the same. Professor Elm took the devices and put them into a slot by his computer, "Alright, two trainers registering for the Johto League. All your pokemon appear to be in great health and you are already familiar with the Johto pokemon. Alright, you two are officially entered into the Johto League. It will start in a week's time giving you just enough time to get to Violet City, the location of the first badge."

Ash nodded in thanks as he placed his pokedex into his pocket, "Thank you for your help Professor. I will call once the egg hatches."

Elm nodded, "I look forward to hearing about your victories Ash. Take good care of Cyndaquil Leaf."

Leaf nodded, "I will Professor and thank you."

The two teens turned and walked out the door before turning to their right and heading down the pathway.

**Chapter 2 is up.**

**Thanks for all the reviews guys. **

**As always send in ideas and reviews.**

**KingFatMan25**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ash and Leaf made good timing and arrived just outside Violet City within four days of leaving New Bark Town. Leaf had taken to keeping her new Cyndaquil outside of her ball, much to Ash's annoyance. The little fire type had become a major pest to Ash and was constantly shooting embers at him. On night of the fourth day, Ash got the fire set up thanks to a quick flamethrower from Salamence. The teen fixed the meals for the group and sat quietly as he ate. Leaf watched her friend for a while before speaking, "Ashy, who are you going to use in your gym battle?"

Her friend swallowed a mouthful of soup, "Seeing as the gym is known for using flying type pokemon I am for sure going to be using Electabuzz and Dragonair, but for my third pokemon I was considering swapping Alakazam for Rhydon. What about you?"

Leaf smiled and looked at Cyndaquil, "I want to use this little one to see what she can do. For backup I plan on using Meowth and Pidgeot."

Ash thought for a moment before he looked at the small fire type, "You might want to consider your Rapidash instead. He would be a much more reliable fire type."

Leaf rolled her eyes, "I know you aren't much on losing Ash but I have faith in Cyndaquil."

Her friend rolled his eyes before picking up his egg and gently polished the shell. "What do you think will hatch from it?"

Ash smiled lightly, "Who knows…it could be a common Caterpie or something rare like a Gible from the Sinnoh region…though I doubt the Gible."

Leaf giggled, "And what happens if you do get a Gible?"

Ash rolled his eyes, "Then I will raise it to its fullest potential of course."

Leaf giggled at Ash's serious nature. Her friend finished polishing the egg and gently set it back in its capsule before he covered it with a thick blanket to keep it warm. "Whatever you are…you will help me win against anyone who comes in my way."

Leaf watched Ash in silence and shook her head lightly. Cyndaquil looked at her mistress and cocked her little head as if asking, _'are you ok?'_ The teen smiled at her little fire type and picked her up, "I'm fine Cyndaquil." The starter yawned and snuggled into Leaf's chest before falling into a deep sleep.

*PTCW*

The following morning found our two heroes standing in front of the Violet City gym. Leaf had a bright smile on while Ash had his cloak wrapped around him and a cold stern look on his face. They walked into the gym and up to the front desk where a young woman was working on a computer. She looked up and almost fell out of her chair at the intimidating figure standing in front of her. Her voice was soft and filled with fear, "Is there anything I can d…do for you?"

Ash smiled lightly and nodded his head, "I am here for a battle against the gym leader."

The woman nodded and looked to Leaf who was smiling brightly, "And you miss?" Leaf giggled, "Don't mind Ash he is a real big softy, but yes I am going for my badge also."

The woman nodded and rushed out of the room as fast as her legs would carry her.

Leaf turned and glared at Ash, "Must you be all dark and scary when we are around people?"

Ash responded by pulling his hood over his eyes and nodded lightly. Leaf fell down anime style and groaned. A few moments later the doors to the main lobby opened and a tall young man walked in. He had brown hair and blue eyes along with a kind looking face. He wore a red and purple t-shirt with tan khakis and blue sneakers with yellow markings. At his side was a small black dog with a reddish orange snout and gray marks on its body. Leaf blushed lightly when he smiled her way and walked over to the desk, "Hi there, are you going for a gym badge as well?"

Leaf gulped when she felt a wave of cold air next to her and knew that Ash's psychic powers were being suppressed.

Leaf smiled, "Yes I am. My name is Leaf and this is my best friend Ash. He is also going for a badge." The young man smiled and shook Leaf's hand before turning to Ash. He gulped when Ash slowly turned with his hood still drawn over his face, "Nice to meet you my name is Harrison and I am from the Hoenn Region."

Ash lightly inclined his head. Harrison looked at the cloaked figure for a moment before he snapped his fingers, "I thought you looked familiar, aren't you Eclipse Silverline, the trainer that defeated the Kanto League?"

Ash mentally groaned but answered, "Yes I am but I only go by Eclipse when I am in battle…my real name is Ash."

Harrison smiled, "It is a real honor to meet you Ash I watched your battles and have to say that those were some of the best battles I have ever seen. And how luck are you, having a shiny Charizard as your starter."

Ash shook his head, "My Charizard isn't my starter."

Harrison gapped at this, "Then what is?"

Ash smirked, "If you are ever unlucky enough you will find out." The teen shivered and looked to the back doors when the woman from earlier walked out with a young man with blackish blue hair and blue eyes. His face was handsome and he gave a very cool aura off. He wore a blue kimono like outfit with a lighter blue over coat. He donned black and red wrist bands and shoes to complete his look. The man looked to the group and inclined his head, "So there are three of you now, this is indeed turning into an interesting day. Shall we move to the stadium for our battles? My name is Falkner and I am the Violet City Gym Leader."

Leaf smiled and bowed lightly, "It's a pleasure to meet you Falkner, my name is Leaf and this is my best friend Ash."

Harrison stepped up, "And I am Harrison."

Falkner smiled at them all but especially at Leaf, "I assure you my dear the pleasure is all mine…it isn't everyday that a beauty as rare as you walks into my gym."

Leaf blushed a deep shade of red and stuttered, "T…tha….thank you."

Ash growled in his throat as Falkner walked closer to Leaf than he liked and let his psychic powers go. His eyes flared blue and the gym leader let out a yelp as he found himself lifted into the air and pushed through the doors of his gym.

Leaf rounded on Ash and glared at him when she saw his eyes, "Ash why did you do that?"

Her friend growled in his throat, "He was getting to damn close to you." Harrison suppressed a chuckled as he watched the scene and followed the two into the gym. When they arrived they found Falkner brushing himself off and chuckling lightly, "That was a powerful blast of wind…did you feel it?" The group of teens lightly murmured their agreement.

Falkner smiled, "Alright, seeing as there are three of you we shall each do a two on two pokemon battle for the prize of the Zephyr badge. Who would like to go first?"

Ash inclined his head to Leaf who hugged him, "Wish me luck Ashy."

Her friend smiled at her, "You don't need it." Leaf glared at him and Ash rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek, "Good luck."

Leaf smiled and ran to the other side of the field, "Let's get this battle started, Cyndaquil time to shine!" Cyndaquil burst from her ball and called out with a happy squeal to her voice.

Falkner smirked, "A starter pokemon, then I shall go easy on you, Pidgey time to fly!" A small brown bird with cream colored feathers appeared in the air. "Pidgey start this off with a tackle attack!" The small bird flapped its wings and dove for Cyndaquil.

"Use ember!" The flames on her back flared up and the little mouse opened her mouth and shot out a stream of little flames at the oncoming Pidgey. The bird ran into the flames and called out in pain,

"Pidgey counter with a gust attack and then tackle it!" Flapping his wings hard and fast, Pidgey sent a burst of wind at Cyndaquil and threw him across the field. Not a second later the flying type slammed hard into the Johto starter.

Leaf bit her lip as she watched her newest pokemon struggle, "Alright Cyndaquil it is risky but we have to try it…use Flare Blitz full power!"

Ash's eyes widened as he heard the attack while Harrison dropped out of his seat, "How is that possible?"

Ash shook his head, "It was an egg move." Harrison nodded but looked on in awe as the little fire type let out a yell before her entire body was engulfed in a powerful flame. Falkner looked at his Pidgey, "Alright Pidgey use quick attack and power up your tackle attack!" The bird rushed forward in hopes to end the battle.

Leaf took her chance, "Cyndaquil now!" Her pokemon looked up and saw her opponent bearing down on her and launched from her spot. The two pokemon slammed into each other and the power behind the Flare Blitz caused an explosion the sent both pokemon flying back.

The gym referee put his flags up, "Both pokemon are unable to battle this round is a draw."

Leaf ran over and scooped up her pokemon, "I'm so proud of you Cyndaquil you pulled off your attack." The fire type smiled weakly before her trainer returned her.

Leaf turned back to Falkner who had just returned his Pidgey, "I see I misjudged you…I can assure you I won't make that mistake again, "Dodrio time to fly!" A large brown bird with three identical head landed on the field. Each of the head had on a different expression from, happy, angry, and sad.

Leaf pulled a ball from her belt, "Pidgeot time to shine!" From the ball appeared a large bird that resembled a Pidgey. The crest normally on its head stretched all the way down its back and was bright and colorful. The powerful bird stretched his wings and called out, "PIDGOTO!"

Falkner's eyes widened at the bird before smiling at Leaf, "Beautiful and a talented trainer…that is a grand specimen you have there."

Leaf blushed at this and looked at Ash. Her friend's eyes were narrowed at Falkner and his hair was swaying slightly in a sort of invisible wind. Leaf silently prayed to Arceus that Ash would keep his temper in control. "Alright Pidgeot lets start this off with a tailwind!" The bird flapped his wings and sent up a powerful gust that instantly caused him to fly twice as fast.

"Dodrio let's get an early edge, Tri-attack!" Each of the heads opened its beak and fired a sphere of color…red, blue, and yellow. The spheres transformed into triangles and formed a larger triangle before sailing at Pidgeot.

"Dodge it and use heat-wave!" Utilizing the strong wind currents the bird easily moved away from the attack and started to flap his wings at a furious pace. Pidgeot's wings flared red before he fired off a burst of super heated air, landing a direct hit on his opponent. Dodrio called out in pain before digging its claws into the ground to support itself.

"Counter with drill peck!" All three heads started moving in a stabbing motion as their beaks started spinning at a furious pace.

Leaf smiled, "Perfect. Pidgeot dodge and then use hidden power!" Ash smiled coldly as he heard Leaf's command, "This battle is over."

Harrison cocked an eyebrow causing Ash to sigh and explain, "Hidden power has many different types…it all depends on the raising and power of the pokemon using the attack. Leaf's Pidgeot's hidden power has characteristics of an ice move."

Harrison's eyes widened, "That basically gives you an ace up your sleeve when facing pokemon like dragon types."

Ash nodded as Pidgeot let loose a group of white orbs with a slight blue tint. Dodrio was hit by the orbs and called out in pain, "Dodrio we need to finish this quick use Hyper Beam!" All three heads opened their and fired off three powerful beams of energy.

"Pidgeot use your own Hyper Beam!" Leaf's pokemon opened his beak and fired a large beam. The two attacks met in the middle and struggled for dominance. After a few moments the two attacks combined and caused a massive explosion that sent both flying type pokemon back. The screen of smoke that was present quickly dispersed revealing two exhausted pokemon. Leaf looked worriedly at her pokemon,

"Hold strong Pidgeot we are almost done!"

Falkner smiled at the teen, "You are right we are almost done, Dodrio finish this with tri attack!" The triple colored attack soared at the weakened flying pokemon, "Pidgeot get out of the way!" Her weakened pokemon flapped his wings once and just managed to move out of the tri-attack's path,

"Finish Dodrio off with Brave Bird!" Pidgeot called out and folded his wings into his body before red flames engulfed him. His body took off like a missile and just before he struck his target, his wings opened and the flames turned blue. Dodrio was struck and sent flying from the powerful attack, landing in front of his trainer with swirls in his eyes.

The referee ran over, "Dodrio is unable to battle making Pidgeot and Leaf the winners of this Gym battle!"

Leaf jumped into the air, "We did it Pidgeot!" Her faithful pokemon landed next to her and placed his head on her shoulder, cooing at her touch. Leaf giggled as the feathers tickled her face and neck, "You did amazing Pidgeot now take a long rest."

Leaf returned her pokemon in a beam of red light before she turned to Falkner who was walking over. "Great battle Leaf one of the better ones I have had."

Leaf blushed lightly at the praise, "For winning this battle I present to you the Zephyr badge and an invitation to dinner."

Leaf blushed deeper but was cut off by a low growl from her friend, "She has plans with me already so you can take your invite and shove it."

Falkner smirked, "I'm guessing you are my next challenge?" Ash lightly nodded from under his hood, "Well then let's make this a little more interesting…if you win you get the badge and I remain silent but should I win, Leaf goes on a date with me."

Leaf gulped but then realized that she was the prize in this bet, "Now hold on just a damn minute…I will not be a prize!"

Ash turned to her, "Leaf you aren't going to be a prize to anyone but me. I won't let my best friend be looked down upon."

Ash's friend smiled lightly and felt her heart flutter at his words. "Ash…thank you."

The dark trainer growled as he saw a single tear before he glared at Falkner, "You have just dug your own grave."

Falkner shifted slightly as he felt a cold chill go up his spine, "It seems I'm going to have to show you just what the Johto Region is all about. We do things a little different here and it will cost you…Noctowl time to fly!" A large brown owl with a large u shaped pair of feathers on its forehead appeared in front of the gym leader. It turned its head 180 degrees as it surveyed the room before it settled its eyes back onto Ash.

Said trainer was gently brushing his fingers over his pokeballs as he made his choice, finally landing on one he quickly enlarged it and threw it onto the field, "End this!"

From the ball appeared Ash's Electabuzz with sparks of lightning flashing between his antennas. The referee raised his flags, "Begin!"

Ash wasted no time, "Electabuzz rapid fire thunderbolt…don't let him escape!" The electric pokemon sensed his Master's anger and was only too pleased to help. With practiced ease, he built up a mass of power before launching powerful blasts of electricity in quick succession.

Falkner was caught off guard by the quick attacks and tried to counter, "Noctowl use protect!" The flying type brought his wings in front of him and called out as a bluish-green shield formed around him and took the first couple of bursts.

Ash glared, "Intensify the power." Electabuzz roared as he flared his power and sent a massive burst at the shield. After a two second stand still the shield started to form cracks in it before finally giving way to the sheer amount of power. Noctowl was completely engulfed in electricity and called out in pain before finally going unconscious.

Falkner looked at his downed pokemon with a sense of dread in him which was made worse when Ash spoke, "This isn't my strongest either."

The gym leader gulped, '_If this isn't his strongest then who knows what kind of power he holds.'_ Falkner returned his pokemon and contemplated his next choice.

*PTCW*

On the sidelines, Leaf was watching on with pride as her best friend and crush defended her. Sure it got old when Ash attacked every guy that looked at her but when it really mattered she couldn't be happier to know that she meant that much to him.

Harrison looked over at the brunette, "Hey Leaf…you know how Ash said that Charizard wasn't his starter? What is?"

Leaf face went serious as she thought about Salamence, "A pokemon that is rare in any region you go to. Ash got him as an egg and raised it to its final evolution. All I'm going to say is that I wouldn't wish anyone to fight him."

Harrison frowned, "That doesn't help me to know what Ash has."

Leaf shook her head, "I won't break Ash's trust…if you want to know you will have to battle him." Harrison nodded and resumed watching the battle.

*PTCW*

Falkner looked at the Electabuzz standing opposite of him and shook off a chill. The pokemon was letting off small bolts of electricity every couple of seconds as it glared at him. The gym leader selected his last pokeball, "I normally don't sound out my most powerful unless I'm forced into a corner like this…Pidgeot time to fly!" A Pidgeot much larger than Leaf's appeared in the air and did a backflip before hovering in place.

Ash looked at the pokemon and then returned Electabuzz, "Alakazam secure my victory." Alakazam landed on the field and held his silver spoons up in a threatening display.

"Pidgeot get in quick and use aerial ace!" The flying type sped off towards the psychic type with streams of white energy flowing off him.

Ash's eyes focused on his pokemon, "_wait until the last second before you use protect followed by calm mind." _When Pidgeot was almost upon him, Alakazam raised is spoons in a wide arch and a greenish blue shield appeared and slammed into the bird. Pidgeot cried out in pain as he was sent back while

Falkner was in shock as he saw Alakazam glow purple from calm mind, "_He didn't say an attack…is he psychic?"_ Shaking his head Falkner glared at the Alakazam, "Quick attack!" His pokemon charged forward with a cry.

"_Counter with thunder punch and power up with another calm mind."_ Alakazam nodded and thrust his glowing fist at the incoming flying type.

Falkner saw this and yelled out, "Pull up!" The electric attack just missed its target but the sudden maneuver left a big enough opening for Alakazam to quickly power up.

Ash smiled coldly as his pokemon was now ready, "_Psychic to hold it in place and finish it with Hyper Beam!"_ Alakazam's eyes flared blue with power and stopped Pidgeot from moving. He then opened his mouth and an orange orb of energy started forming.

Falkner's eyes widened, "Pidgeot you have to get loose!" His pokemon struggled for all it was worth but to no avail, "Ala…ka….ZAM!" The beam fired at full power, kicking up a cloud of dust in its wake. The beam struck Pidgeot and engulfed him in the powerful attack for a good five seconds before it fell to the ground unconscious. Falkner looked at his pokemon in shock before running over, "Pidgeot return."

He turned to see Ash and Alakazam walking over, both of them glaring hard, "That was a complete waste of my time. What kind of Gym Leader brags about their region and then loses this badly? I will tell you a completely worthless one."

Ash took the badge from the referee, "Make sure you tell the other gym leaders that I'm coming…maybe they will actually use their head and prepare."

Falkner didn't have a chance to say anything before Ash turned and gently grabbed Leaf by the arm, leading her out of the room. Leaf rolled her eyes and waved to Harrison, "By Harrison good luck on your battle." The Hoenn native waved with a confused expression on his face.

*PTCW*

A few hours later found the teens checking into the pokemon center at Bloomingvale. Ash had insisted on flying to the next town to avoid staying in Violet City an longer than was required. The Nurse Joy of the town smiled as the two teens bickered about the boy being rude. Joy found it rather sweet how the young man was sticking up for his friend but had to suppress a giggle at the obvious feelings between them. "I'm sorry you two but we only have one more room available and it's a single bed."

Without missing a beat Ash nodded, "We will take it." The nurse had expected them to argue the situation but handed then the key none the less.

Ash pulled out his pokeballs, "I need them looked after please…the last one stays in his ball."

Nurse Joy nodded, "Understood."

Leaf smiled brightly and handed over hers over as well, "Mine too please and _thank you_." Ash rolled his eyes at Leaf's emphasis before he turned and walked up the stares with his and Leaf's things.

Leaf groaned, "Don't mind him Nurse Joy…Ash is very complex."

The Nurse giggled, "And cute too, I can see why you like him."

Leaf turned and blushed, "That obvious?"

Joy waved her hand at the girl, "Dear it couldn't be more obvious."

Leaf groaned and walked to her room with a deep blush on. She arrived and found it already open and the sound of the shower running. Ash had placed his things on the table off to the side and had yet to unpack while Leaf's were on the bed waiting for her. She smiled lightly at his thoughtfulness, always giving her the first chance at anything. Ten minutes later the bathroom door opened and Ash walked out in a pair of black shorts with a white band running down the side that had yellow on the sides.

"Bathroom is all yours." Leaf was trying not to gap at her best friend's physic but was failing miserably,

"Leaf you're drooling." His best friend squeaked and ran into the bathroom with her shower items.

Leaf leaned against the door and tried to force her blush away but she couldn't help it. Saying that Ash had become a handsome young man was an understatement. He was rock hard with just the right amount of muscle. His six pack wasn't overly defined but enough so that you knew he had one. The brunette sighed as she stripped and got into the shower all the while trying to get rid of the thoughts over Ash.

*PTCW*

Later that night the two friends had just finished watching TV and eating the pizza Ash had bought. Leaf shifted slightly as she looked at the bed.

Ash caught her uneasiness, "Alright what's wrong?"

Leaf rubbed her arm with her hand, "Who do you want to take the bed?"

Ash looked at her like she was crazy, "Leaf we will share like we always do."

His friend blushed lightly, "Oh."

The dark trainer raised his eyebrow, "Unless you don't want to."

Leaf shook her head, "It isn't that it just feels different."

Ash sat down on the bed and looked at her, "How?"

Leaf shrugged, "I don't know…this is first time we have only had one bed and it isn't exactly the biggest bed."

Ash pulled her down to him and wrapped his arms around her, "Leaf it's just me…we have slept in the same bed since we were kids." For some reason that didn't help the feeling in her chest.

Ash thought for a moment, "Tell you what, if for some reason you feel uncomfortable I will take my things and camp outside."

Leaf looked at him, "Ash I'm not going to make you leave the room."

He chuckled, "then get into bed." Leaf blushed as Ash pulled the blankets back and climbed in with just his shorts on. Leaf hesitantly climbed in and blushed harder when she felt Ash's body against hers'.

He wrapped his arms around her to make sure she wouldn't fall off and kissed the back of her head, "Night Leaf."

The brunette felt her worry wash away when his arms wrapped around her, "Night Ashy."

**Chapter 3 is done.**

**Let me know what you think about the battles and send in any ideas you want for pokemon.**

**Read and Review.**

**KingFatMan25**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Charles Goodshow was a man of many talents. He was an accomplished pokemon trainer in his younger days, held a Master's degree in human/pokemon psychology, and was the President of the Pokemon League for the last ten years. He prided himself in having things run smoothly and when they didn't he would start from the bottom and rebuild. He was currently sitting in his meeting room with his current staff of Johto Gym Leaders as well as the Elite Four but their Champion was still at Mount Silver. Charles had heard rumors that the recent winner of the Kanto Pokemon League was making his way around Johto and already making a name for himself. He looked over to the three gym leaders who seemed to be depressed, "Tell me again why your win/lose ration has changed so much?"

Falkner spoke in a shallow voice, "Ketchum is the reason. He defeated me so easily it shattered my resolve."

The next gym leader spoke up. He was a short young man with lavender colored hair and was dressed in green hiking clothes. "Falkner called ahead of Ash and warned us all of him but I didn't take it too serious. He arrived two weeks later and let his friend Leaf battle first. She beat me when we both were down to our last pokemon but then Ash battled and it wasn't even a contest. He beat all three of my pokemon with his own Scyther. I have never seen a pokemon that could move that fast or deliver that kind of power."

Goodshow looked at the next leader and saw that the girl had tears in her eyes. He inwardly groaned as he was hoping that Whitney wasn't about to have another crying fit. She was still in her late teens and prone to temper tantrums, "Whitney what happened when he arrived at your gym?"

She took a breath and thought for a moment before she got a dreamy smile, "When he first walked in I was shocked and in awe at how attractive he was. I tried to flirt with him but he refused any of my advances and kept his eyes on Leaf. Leaf and I battled first and I lost to her after an impressive battle on our parts but then Ash got up and took his turn. He beat me so easily I couldn't believe it. His pokemon was a Kabutops and it was so powerful not even my Miltank could hold against it."

Bruno's eyes widened, "I had heard rumors of him having rare pokemon but I wasn't able to make the Indigo League to see. Are the stories of his starter true? Is it a shiny Charizard?"

Falkner shook his head, "It isn't his starter or his strongest." A beautiful woman with cerulean blue hair raised her eyebrow, "Then what is?" Whitney spoke softly to Clair, the leader of the Blackthorn City Gym, "All he said was that anyone unlucky enough to face it better pray to whatever God you believe in." The people in the room all shivered and paled at the statement…fearing what was to come.

*PTCW*

Currently, Ash and Leaf were sitting by a lake just outside of Goldenrod City. Their pokemon were out and about by the lake enjoying the beautiful day. Ash sat polishing his egg and going over new battle strategies while Leaf was working on her tan. Ash would occasionally glance at his friend as her bathing suit left little to the imagination but it wasn't in a sick perverted manor. He couldn't help but be in awe of her beauty. Leaf didn't try and flaunt her looks but she really didn't have to. Ash was a man of honor and respected women. That was one reason he was so protective of Leaf was because of all the perverts in the world. He shook his head with a light smile when Leaf looked over and winked at him before she blew a kiss. Ash was about to continue his work when a bright white light started shining from his lap. He looked down and saw the egg glowing powerfully. Leaf saw the light and rushed over and kneeled next to Ash, "What do you think it is going to be?"

Ash shrugged but inside he was jumping for joy. The egg started making a cracking sound before the light began to shift in shape. The egg slowly flattened out into a long oval shaped body with eight lobes coming from its side. Its head had two large beady looking eyes and two medium sized claws. The pokemon looked around and focused on Ash before it yawned out, "Anorith."

Ash let a smile go as he bent down and picked up the small pokemon. Leaf held up her pokedex, "_Anorith the old shrimp pokemon. Anorith once roamed the old seas and uses its claws to capture its prey. This one is a male has the ability swift swim and the moves scratch, harden, and cross poison. Note, the move cross poison is a result of breeding."_

Ash's smile got even larger when he heard the summary. He pulled out a jar of pokemon food that he had picked up in Goldenrod and handed a few pieced to the pokemon. Anorith sniffed the food before grabbing a piece with his claws and started chewing on it. Leaf looked for a reaction from Ash and giggled when she saw his face, "A little happy are you?"

Ash nodded, "Not only do I get a rare pokemon but one that is supposed to be extinct. Granted there have been a large number of jumps in research towards bringing them back to life but having this little guy hatch is all the better."

Leaf nodded in agreement, "You should call Professor Elm, he will want to know about this little guy hatching." Her friend nodded and pulled out his cell phone. He quickly punched in the numbers and waited, "_Hello this is New Bark Research Facility, Professor Elm speaking." _

Ash smirked, "Hello Professor this is Ash, I thought I would let you know that the egg you gave me hatched just outside of Goldenrod." There was a pause and the sound of dropping books, "_My word that is quite a distance but I am pleased none the less. What kind of pokemon is it?"_

Ash glanced at his newest addition, "He is an Anorith."Another pause before a very excited Elm spoke up, "_You must be very pleased by this. I would love to see it when you come back through New Bark but by that point you will have evolved it, am I correct?" _

Ash chuckled, "If I intend on using him in the Silver Conference then yes. But if we happen to be in that area any time soon I will stop by."

"_Fair enough Ash. Thanks for helping with this and congrats on your newest pokemon good luck!"_ The phone beeped when the call ended and Ash put it away. He sat back down next to Leaf and she leaned on his shoulder. He tried to suppress a blush from forming as he felt her skin and chest pushing against his arm. "So where to next Ashy?"

He cleared his throat, "I wanted to be in Ecruteak City within the next couple of days but I think we should camp here and train."

Leaf thought for a moment, "Alright I can agree to that, the next gym uses ghost type pokemon right?"

Ash nodded and smiled at her, "Right on the mark sweetheart…any idea who you are going to use?" Leaf giggled at one of Ash's many pet names for her, "Not sure yet, I really don't have anything especially good against them but I guess Eevee and Meowth would be good choices considering their immunity to ghost type attacks."

Ash nodded, "Good thinking there. Do they know any moves that will be good?"

Leaf looked over towards the lake at her two normal types, "Meowth knows night slash and shadow claw as well as thunderbolt to counter any long ranged attacks they might use. Eevee on the other hand only has shadow ball and iron tail…her other moves won't work on ghost type pokemon."

Ash thought before he looked at Eevee, "Have you considered evolving her?"

His friend nodded lightly, "I have but I have two problems with that. The first one is that I don't want to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do and the second is I have no idea which form to choose."

"Ask her."

Leaf looked at Ash, "This way you won't be forcing it upon her. It will also help build your bond with her."

Leaf thought for a moment and nodded, "Eevee come here." The little normal type ran over and put her paws on Leaf's legs, "We?" Her trainer ran a hand over her silky fur, "Eevee, have you ever thought about evolving?" When the little pokemon nodded Leaf continued, "Well then if you could, what form would you want to take?"

Leaf pulled out a booklet and opened it to the section that had a picture of all the forms. Eevee looked at them all before she placed her paw on a picture of a lavender colored pokemon with a gem in the center of its head. The Pokémon's tail split into two sections and it held a look of grace. Leaf smiled, "So you want to become an Espeon?" Her little Eevee nodded and squealed happily."

Ash nodded his approval, "Then all you need to do is keep caring for Eevee like you have been, especially during the day." Leaf giggled and hugged her little pokemon to her as they got back to training.

*PTCW*

Three days later, Ash was standing with his current party of six surrounding him. Anorith was standing next to Ash's only capture in the Johto region, a Murkrow. Next to them were his Gengar, Snorlax, Alakazam, and Charizard. Salamence was in his pokeball around Ash's neck. "Alright guys we have another gym to conquer and we have only today to train. Gengar and Charizard I want you to battle in the air while working on your speed. Snorlax I want you to attack Alakazam with as many physical attacks as you can put out…increase his defense." The four evolved pokemon roared their approval and went off to their tasks.

Ash turned to his final two pokemon and flipped his pokedex to a picture of Murkrow. The mechanical voice of his Dexter filled his ears, "_Murkrow knows the moves Faint Attack, Wing Attack, Brave Bird, and Haze. Note, Brave Bird is an egg move." _

Ash thought for a moment as he looked over the moves that his new flying type could learn, "Alright my friend, you have a wide variety of moves and even more once you evolve." At the mention of evolving his dark type got a glint in his eyes and started crowing, "Murkrow, Mur, Krow Murkrow!"

Ash looked at his pokemon, "You want to evolve?" Murkrow nodded his head, "Hmm, I guess it would be alright but…"

He glanced over at Leaf before calling out, "Leaf, did you bring your evolution stones that you won?"

His friend thought for a moment and nodded, "Yeah I have them in my pack, why?"

Ash walked over with Murkrow on his shoulder, "Murkrow wants to evolve and I need a dusk stone. Can I borrow the one you have?"

Leaf smiled slyly, "And what do I get in return?"

Her best friend groaned, "What do you want?" Leaf thought for a moment before she giggled out, "A kiss."

Ash looked at her blankly, "A kiss?"

At her nod he walked forward but she stopped him, "Not a simple one either."

This caught Ash's attention and he noticed the blush forming on Leaf's face. He knew that she loved and this kiss would mean the world to her. "Alright." Murkrow flew off his master's shoulder and turned his head as not to disturb him.

Ash walked to Leaf and pulled her into his strong embrace. Their faces inched closer until their lips were millimeters apart. Leaf could feel his hot breath on her lips and she closed her eyes. Their lips met and their worlds exploded in passion. Leaf moaned as Ash deepened the kiss by flicking his tongue over her lips. She felt her legs start to give as he masterfully maneuvered his tongue into her mouth and gave her the kiss of a lifetime. Ash was feeling a similar effect but his was of awe and amazement. He was kissing his best friend and enjoying it…never in a million years would he have expected a kiss between them to mean so much. Sure he would give her pecks on the lips and cheek but this was different. Finally the need for air won and Ash broke lip contact. Leaf groaned from the loss but leaned her forehead against his.

Both teens were blushing deeply and had slight smiles on. "You…can…have…the stone."

Ash smiled and kissed her lightly on the nose, "Thanks sweetheart." Leaf sat down against a tree in order to recover while Ash opened the simple brown case. All of the stones involved in evolution were sitting in it and he instantly picked out the dusk stone from its dark purple color.

Murkrow flew over and landed on a stump before he held his head up in pride, "Ready?" His pokemon looked at him with determination, "Krow."

Ash held the stone to his dark pokemon and waited a second before his entire body was engulfed in a white light. A ringing sound filled their ears as Murkrow's body started to shift and grew until it was roughly twice the size it had been. His tail shifted to a cylindrical stalk while the crown on his head shifted to the appearance of a fedora. His beak straightened out and his feathers became more prominent. The light slowly faded and the dark blue feathers of a powerful and graceful looking Honchkrow came into view.

Ash's new pokemon looked at his form before he held his wings out and called out, "HONCHKROW!"

The rest of Ash's team heard the commotion and rushed over to see their new member. Anorith moved over to the box and pointed at it.

Ash got the message and picked the fossil pokemon up, "Sorry buddy but you don't evolve that way. You evolve the old fashion way of hard work…but don't worry. We will get you big and strong in no time." Anorith clicked his claws together happily earning a smile from his trainer."

*PTCW*

The two best friends arrived in Ecruteak city the next day and went straight to the gym after healing their pokemon. But when they arrived they found the gym doors locked. Leaf frowned as she looked in through the windows. "It's all dark in there Ash…I don't think anyone is there."

Ash was about to respond when an elderly man walked up, "If you two are looking for the gym leader you should try Burn Tower."

Ash looked in the direction of the legendary building, "Is it safe?"

The man nodded and smiled sadly at it, "It may have been destroyed but it still holds for those who seek peace and harmony." Before the two trainers could respond the man walked off. Ash shrugged and headed over to the woods surrounding the tower.

As they came into view of the building Leaf suddenly felt a chill go down her spine and she turned to see a pair of glowing red eyes looking at her from within a thick area of brush. She squealed, "ASH!"

Her best friend turned to see something dart out of the brush and into the building but couldn't make out what it was, "Did you see what it was?"

Leaf shook her head and ran her hands over her arms, "No but I felt it watching me…do we have to go into the building?"

Ash nodded, "Morty is in there and we have a gym badge to win." Ash offered his arm and Leaf took it while looking around.

The two teens entered the ruined building and stopped inside the main hall, "Hello? Morty? Is anyone here?"

When only silence met them they continued on the only good set of stares. The two trainers kept walking until they arrived at the last floor. Ash turned and saw a man with a simple blue shirt with yellow bands running over the sleeves and base of it. He had on blue jeans and white sneakers with yellow markings on them. Finally his outfit was completed with a blue headband and a brown choker. He turned his gaze to Ash and Leaf and smiled, "Greetings my friends…I was wondering who was walking around here. My name is Morty and I am the Ecruteak City Gym Leader."

Ash remained a good distance away while Leaf offered her hand, "Pleased to meet you Morty I'm Leaf and this is my best friend Ash."

The leader's eyes widened, "So you are the one I have heard so much about."

Ash lightly inclined his head, "Then I can say that I look forward to our battle."

Ash was about to respond when he felt something in the next room. "What is in there?"

Morty looked at the door Ash gestured to and whispered, "What do you know of the legendary dogs?"

Ash smiled lightly, "enough to know that they are rumored to originate from here."

Morty nodded and motioned for Ash to follow. Leaf looked on in worry but followed none the less. They entered the room and found a large stone plateau. All around it were offerings of fruit, money, and personal items from people around the world. "This is the place that the legendary beasts are claimed to visit. I had heard rumors of sightings so I decided to come here and investigate. Sadly my search has turned up nothing."

Ash thought for a moment and then got wide eyed before he stepped forward, "I know you are here…show yourself!"

Morty was about to speak when a long drawn out howl filled the room. At the same time, the legendary crystal bells in the bell tower had begun to toll loudly, filling everyone's ears with a beautiful and calming sound. The group looked up to see a medium sized blue colored pokemon jump down and land on four paws. Its head sported a large hexagonal shaped crest that met a large flowing purple cape like mane. Two white streamer like tails finished the Pokémon's look to give it a majestic and powerful appeal.

Morty let his jaw drop, "Suicune!" The legendary pokemon looked at Morty before focusing its eyes back on Ash. The trainer from Pallet unclipped a pokeball and when he saw Suicune nod its head he stepped onto the plateau.

Morty gaped, "You can't honestly think about battling Suicune!"

Ash didn't respond and took his position on the opposite side. "I have always wanted to battle a legendary pokemon and now my chance has arrived."

He glanced down at the pokeball, "I was going to keep you hidden until our battles in the league but now is a perfect time to test your power. Rise my faithful starter and end this!" Ash's pokeball burst open and Salamence roared powerfully as he landed on the field. He looked at his opponent and let a stream of smoke go in eagerness.

Ash focused on his opponent and saw Suicune nod before he raised his hand and pointed, "Salamence attack with dragon breath!"

**There you go people another chapter finally.**

**Let me know what you think should happen. Should Ash capture Suicune or lose? **

**As always send in ideas and reviews.**

**KingFatMan25**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A massive stream of green fire shot from Salamence's mouth and rushed towards Suicune. The legendary pokemon flared its eyes and easily moved out of the way. Suicune opened its own mouth and let loose a beam of rainbow colored energy.

Ash quickly countered, "Salamence counter that aurora beam with flamethrower!" His starter did as he was told and the two attacks met in the middle, battling for dominance. "More power." The flames coming from the dragon's mouth quickly increased in size and pushed the attack into Suicune. The pokemon called out in pain as its body was severely burned from the attack.

"While Suicune is recovering take to the sky and use dragon pulse!" Salamence flapped his massive wings and took off before he opened his maw and fired a large greenish blue orb. Suicune turned and brought its head down and a shield of purple energy absorbed the attack and then fired it back at Salamence.

Ash's eyes widened as his starter got hit and was forced back. _'So it knows Mirror Coat, this will change things.'_

Ash focused on the battle as Suicune fired a powerful looking ice beam, "Salamence use protect and then dragon dance." The dragon roared as the shield took the attack before his body was surrounded with red and black energy. Suicune put its weight down on its legs before launching at Salamence with an orb of gold and purple energy forming around it.

"Salamence dodge that attack and get in there with dragon claw!" Salamence moved out of the way and brought his glowing claws down on Suicune's back. The water type cried out in pain it slammed into the ground. Ash felt a small amount of pride that his pokemon had just knocked down a legendary but that was short lived as Suicune stood up and called out as its body glowed pink from the effects of calm mind.

"Salamence use another dragon dance." The dragon repeated the attack and hovered in place as he waited. Suicune looked at the dragon and charged him with ice glistening on its fangs.

"Salamence, move out of the way." As his starter moved to the left, Suicune opened its mouth and fired a point blank ice beam that slammed into the dragon's back.

*PTCW*

Leaf's eyes widened as Salamence fell to the ground, "Salamence!"

Morty looked at the girl, "Is your friend crazy? What beginning trainer in their right mind would attack a legendary?"

Leaf glared at Morty, "Ash isn't your average trainer. He has more battle knowledge then some gym leaders and won't let a simple ice beam take down his most powerful pokemon."

Morty's eyes widened, "So this is the pokemon that he has referred to?"

Leaf nodded, "Ash has never used Salamence in an official battle but I have seen him in training and there is no doubt about his power." Leaf's eyes became determined as she watched Salamence slam into Suicune with double edge.

*PTCW*

Suicune howled out and fired an orb of blue light into the sky that quickly clouded over and started dropping rain.

Ash mentally smirked, '_Rain dance? You are smarter than you look my friend…now Salamence will have difficulties using his fire attacks…no matter.'_

The legendary dog then pointed its head at Salamence and fired another ice beam, "Quick, counter with steel wing!" Salamence's wings flashed white before they folded in front of his body. The ice attack slammed into them with little effect.

"Salamence cancel that attack and get in close." Snapping his wings away caused the ice beam to stop and with a single push the dragon launched himself at his opponent, "Thunder fang!"

Salamence bit down hard on Suicune's leg and released a large blast of electricity. The water type called out in pain before it clamped down on Salamence's wing joint with ice fang.

Salamence roared in agony and slammed his head into Suicune's. The water type backed off for a moment giving Ash the opened he was looking for, "Dragon Rush now!" Salamence slammed full force into his opponent and sent him flying across the plateau. Suicune landed in a crumpled heap and called out weakly as he looked at his opponent.

Salamence gently landed next to Ash and glared hard at the legendary while Ash contemplated his next move. _'If I capture it now I will have a chance to raise it as another ace in the hole for the Silver Conference…but I can't guarantee Morty's silence…so this would leave me exposed. But then again I may never get this chance again.'_

Ash's eyes shifted from left to right as he thought about his choice before one final thought ran through his mind, _'Having a pokemon like this would give me a huge advantage over my father.'_

Ash hardened his eyes and unclipped an empty pokeball. He enlarged it and noticed that Suicune had gotten up and lowered its head in submission as if it was accepting its fate, "You are mine Suicune, pokeball go!"

The ball left his hand and sailed at its intended target…but it never arrived. Out of nowhere a beam of rainbow colored energy hit the ball and shattered it into dust.

Ash growled as he turned to the far side of the plateau and saw a man in a purple suit with a white cape around his neck. His hair was brown and he had a determined look on his face as he glared at Ash. Next to him was an Alakazam that was putting its spoons down from the recent psybeam.

"What do you think you are doing, attacking a legend like Suicune and then having the nerve to capture it? Suicune is a creature of respect and grace and only those worthy of its power will get it."

Ash's eyes flashed blue as his psychic powers reacted to his anger, "Who are you?"

Morty sighed, "Eusine this isn't the time." The man now identified as Eusine turned to the gym leader, "Be quiet Morty…you let him attack and defeat Suicune. I thought you respected this place."

Morty's demeanor change from calm to anger, "Don't you dare question my loyalties. What would you expect me to do, try and stop the battle? This young man just defeated a legendary pokemon!"

Eusine growled, "He did not!"

Morty glared, "Suicune accepted the challenge and was defeated…Ash would have a new partner if you hadn't intervened."

Eusine turned to Ash, "I will not stand here and let this sacred pokemon be defeated. I am the only one who is worthy of its power…Alakazam attack his Salamence!"

The psychic type brought his spoons up and readied another psybeam but a loud howl caused him to pause. A moment later Alakazam flashed red and was returned to his pokeball. The group turned to see Suicune glaring at Eusine before it looked at Ash. The two shared a moment as their eyes connected and they both nodded. The legendary water type turned and ran out the window before anyone could say anything.

There was silence as Ash returned his starter and walked down to Leaf and Morty. Eusine was looking at the spot that Suicune had been in with a shocked face.

"Ashy why didn't you capture it?" Her friend ran a hand through his hair, "I want to don't get me wrong but I just feel that if I have it on my team right now I wouldn't be able to train at all. For one I can't guarantee Morty's silence and while I would love to have a huge advantage over Red I can't let my greed for power get in the way of simple logic. Not to mention I don't think I would be able to get rid of Eusine."

Morty chuckled at that and noticed his friend had left. Leaf smiled with hearts in her eyes, "Still, Suicune is such a beautiful pokemon can you imagine what would happen if I entered a contest with it?"

Ash chuckled, "I still don't understand why you do those for fun…but don't worry, I have a feeling that Suicune and I will see each other soon enough."

Ash then turned to Morty, "I would like to officially challenge you to our gym battle."

The ghost type leader smiled widely, "It would be an honor to battle you Ash…and you as well Leaf. Will I be facing that starter of yours?"

Ash shook his head, "No and I would appreciate it if you don't reveal him to anyone."

Morty nodded, "I can respect your wishes…and don't worry about Eusine blabbing either. He would never admit to seeing a Salamence defeat his favorite pokemon."

Morty gestured to the stares, "Shall we?"

*PTCW*

Ash and Morty stood on opposite sides of the field with a pokeball in each hand. The gym leader smirked, "would a two on two be alright?"

Ash nodded slightly which caused Morty to begin the match, "Haunter go!" A large purple pokemon with a sinister smile hovered above the ground. It had two large hands with three fingers each and cackled at Ash.

"Honchkrow, end this!" Ash's newly evolved pokemon appeared in the air and called out in determination. "Know that I won't be taking you lightly Ash. Your battle with Suicune proved to me that you are not someone to underestimate."

Ash smirked and started the match, "Honchkrow dark pulse!" The dark type opened his beak and fired a beam of swirling purple and black energy.

"Evade." Morty's Haunter cackled and faded from view which let the dark pulse pass harmlessly by.

"Thunderbolt!" A bolt of yellow electricity fired from out of nowhere and struck Honchkrow in the back.

Ash's eyes widened slightly, "Counter with night slash." Honchkrow flapped his wings and rushed forward with his wings now glowing purple.

Morty smirked, "You can't hit what you can't see, Haunter remain hidden and use night shade." Once again the attack came from behind in the form of two bolts of black energy. Honchkrow called out in pain and fell to the ground.

Ash thought for a moment before he smirked, "Honchkrow use tailwind and ascend." His Pokémon's eyes flashed blue and a powerful wind picked up and propelled him as he took to the sky. "Haunter use another thunderbolt!"

Ash was ready this time, "Dive down and spin!" The duel type pokemon folded hi s wings and dropped straight at the ground while at the same time using his body weight to spin. "Dark Pulse full power!" Honchkrow opened his beak again and fired the attack. The beams of energy fired off in every direction and formed a streamline look. Haunter, who had remained invisible was finally struck by the attack and called out in pain as he fell.

Ash smirked, "End this with brave bird!" His pokemon turned upright and was engulfed in blue flames before he slammed hard into the ghost type. Honchkrow emerged from the smoke and called out as small bolts of energy flashed over his body thanks to the recoil.

Morty nodded his approval as he returned Haunter, "Impressive Ash, but I intend to be the first gym leader to defeat at least one of your pokemon, Gengar go!"

Ash and Honchkrow glared at their new opponent as it floated in the air. Morty was famous for the use of ghost pokemon but none other than his starter Gengar. The Pokémon's power was well known throughout the Johto region and only experienced trainers could hold against it.

"Shadow Ball!" Gengar formed a large orb of black and flung it at Honchkrow. Ash's pokemon quickly moved out of the way and they all watched as the attack slammed into the wall and exploded. A mass of black energy flew all over the gym and caused a powerful wind to flow. Leaf squealed and put her hand on her skirt as it started to kick up while Ash wrapped his cloak around him.

Morty smiled at his pokemon and nodded, "Dark Pulse."

Ash quickly turned, "Honchkrow counter with your own." The two attacks met in the middle and instantly exploded.

"Thunder." A massive bolt of energy flew from the smoke and struck the dark and flying type. Honchkrow slammed into the ground as the energy flowed through his body, "Finish it with Hyper Beam!" Gengar quickly opened his mouth and fired a beam of red and orange energy that slammed into the downed pokemon.

Ash could only watch as his newest pokemon flew back and landed in a crumpled heap. Returning him to his ball Ash smile lightly, "Good work Honchkrow we will work so that never happens again."

Ash's eyes turned to the field and became cold, "I must congratulate you Morty for being the first gym leader in Johto to beat one of my pokemon…but that is as far as you go. Gengar, end this!"

Ash's own ghost type appeared and grinned darkly at his opponent. Both trainers yelled out, "Shadow Balls!" Both final evolutions thrust their hands out and fired a powerful ball of energy. The attacks met in the middle and held as sparks of energy started firing off from their centers. "Power it up with Energy Ball." Ash's Gengar used his free hand to send an emerald green orb into the black one. The two combined and pushed through Morty's and slammed into his Gengar.

"Gengar get up and use Hypnosis!" Morty's Gengar flashed his eyes with white energy as he sent out a powerful telekinetic wave.

Ash shook his head, "Fade away and counter with psychic!" The hypnotic waves missed their target and moments later, Morty's pokemon was surrounded with a blue aura, "Dark Pulse." Ash's Gengar appeared behind Morty's and fired a point blank attack. Both pokemon flew back from the attack and Morty's fell to the ground.

Ash smirked in triumph but this quickly changed when his Gengar groaned as a pinkish energy formed around him.

Ash instantly recognized the tactic, "Destiny Bond?"

Morty nodded as Ash's pokemon fell to the ground ending the battle in a tie. The two trainers looked at the field before returning their pokemon. Morty walked up and pulled out a badge before handing it to Ash, "Ash even though we tied I have no regrets in handing you the Fog Badge. Your attack defeated my Gengar first so I view you as the victor. You truly are a one of a kind trainer and I hope you achieve everything you set out to accomplish."

Ash accepted the badge and bowed at the hips, "It was an honor to battle you Morty…know that the next time we meet my pokemon won't be beaten by that move."

The ghost type leader smirked, "I look forward to it."

Leaf giggled at the exchange before jumping up, "My turn!"

*PTCW*

Two hours later Ash was sitting in his hotel room listening to Leaf moan about her loss. "I don't get it…I thought we were ready but then he has to use a Spiritomb and completely throw me off."

Ash chuckled at his friend's rant before speaking, "Leaf it is no big deal. We will train for a week and then you can go back and win."

Leaf scowled cutely, "Easy for you to say…you didn't lose."

Ash's expression hardened, "Yes I did. Granted it was a tie but as far as I'm concerned it was a loss. I should have predicted something like that to happen but I was too confident."

The two sat in silence for a moment before Leaf nodded, "Where do you want to train?"

Ash thought for a moment, "I have heard rumors of a lake west of the city that lies deep in the forest. It is supposed to be unreachable for the average trainer."

Leaf smiled, "Then it is a good thing we aren't your average trainers." Her best friend nodded in agreement as they two of them made their plans.

*PTCW*

Over the course of the next week Ash and Leaf trained with and against each other for Leaf's rematch. Two positives that came out of the training sessions were Eevee, Cyndaquil, and her recently caught Flaffy evolving. Leaf was so overjoyed that she kissed Ash without thinking and then turned back to her pokemon…leaving her friend in a dazed state. Leaf's new Espeon, Quilava and Ampharos instantly became part of her main team so she could work with them.

As for Ash, he continued working with his pokemon for perfection. Anorith was coming along nicely and had managed to learn water gun, ancient power, and aerial ace. Honchkrow was growing by leaps and bounds in an attempt to make up for his loss in the gym battle. It wasn't until that Sunday that the group decided to enjoy themselves by having a picnic…which ended up being short lived thanks to Ash's Snorlax.

*PTCW*

Currently Leaf was standing opposite of Morty as she instructed her pokemon against his. The two were even with only one pokemon remaining and Morty had brought his Gengar in. Leaf was battling using her Espeon and was currently on the defensive, "Keep dodging Espeon."

Morty smirked, "Intercept her movements with shadow ball!" Gengar launched his deadly attack and smiled as the explosion sent the psychic type back.

"Espeon use your own shadow ball!" Gengar's laughter was short lived as he was struck in the face by a purple orb. The ghost type yelled in pain before glaring at his opponent, "Dark Pulse!"

Leaf yelled, "Protect!" The dark attack slammed into the greenish blue shield and canceled out,

"Psybeam!" Espeon called out as her gem fired a beam of rainbow energy that slammed hard into Gengar, "Finish him with shadow ball!" While she was still attacking with the psychic attack, Espeon fired a purple orb from her mouth that exploded upon hitting its target. The smoke cleared and Gengar was revealed to be unconscious.

Leaf squealed in happiness, "We did it!" Espeon ran over to her trainer and jumped into her arms, "I'm so proud of you Espeon." The little psychic type squealed in happiness as Morty walked over, "Leaf I am pleased to award you the Fog badge. Congratulations."

Leaf accepted the badge and put it into her case. The group of three trainers then made their way towards the gym entrance, "So where will you go next Ash?"

The dark trainer thought, "I guess we will head towards Olivine City, from there we can catch a boat to Cianwood City."

Morty nodded, "If you are lucky you will get to Olivine before the start of their local competition. Trainers from the area can enter a single or double battle for a rare prize."

Leaf raised her eyebrow, "What is the prize?"

Morty shrugged, "It changes every year. Last year they gave away a Dratini that had just hatched the day before and the year before they gave away a Master Ball."

Ash nodded, "Then to Olivine City it is. Thanks again Morty we will see you soon."

The two friend turned and walked out of the gym and towards the path to Olivine, "Hey Ash, why were you so civil to Morty?"

Her friend chuckled darkly, "Because of two reasons, one, he beat one of my pokemon and two, he didn't look at you." Leaf blushed lightly at that but remained silent as they continued on their way.

Little did they know that a certain pokemon was following them with intentions of battling the only person to ever defeat him.

**Here we go another chapter. Sorry to all those that wanted Suicune to be captured in the remake, but it still just didn't fit in for the story…just yet. ;) But don't lose heart, I have something brewing for you.**

**Off the record, if you had to chose any of Ash's former traveling companions or rivals who you feel would make the best elite four members….who would they be? Give me an entire roster, four trainers and their types. It was just a random thought I had and was curious. **

**As always send in ideas and reviews.**

**KingFatMan25**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ash and Leaf made great timing and managed to arrive in Olivine City within two weeks. In all honesty it was more at Leaf's urging since Ash wanted to spend a week training but his friend was ever persistent. The two teens arrived in the port city and could only be in awe of the amount of people present. Everywhere you looked there were people moving around the hundreds of shopping stands. There were items from every region there and Ash moved to the trainer section of the market. He stopped at one stand that had pokeballs on display. "Hello young man."

Ash looked at the elderly gentleman who was sitting behind the stand with a kind smile on his face, "Good morning sir."

The old man's smile widened, "I see you are a trainer…perhaps you are interested in some pokeballs?"

Ash looked over the selection, "What all do you have available?"

The man chuckled, "Anything you can imagine…short of the master ball."

Ash's eyes looked over all the different types of pokeballs and finally decided, "I will take a dozen Ultra balls." The man nodded and pulled out a small box and handed it to Ash. The dark trainer handed the man the necessary money before he turned and walked off to find Leaf.

He found his best friend standing by a fence as she watched a couple of trainers battle. Ash did a quick scan and noticed nothing of interest for him personally but he wasn't about to judge new trainers…that was for after he defeated them.

Leaf looked at him, "Hey you did you find anything good?"

Ash nodded, "I picked up a dozen Ultra Balls for a fraction I would have paid in the super market."

When Leaf rolled her eyes her friend looked at her, "What?"

Leaf smirked, "You don't have to worry about money for a while Ashy…winning the Indigo League and all those battles kind of leave some extra cash around."

Ash nodded, "True but that doesn't mean I'm going to throw my money around."

His best friend giggled before she leaned on his arm as they continued to watch the battles. Ash was slightly dozing off when he heard a familiar name, "And our next contender will be Harrison from the Hoenn Region!"

Ash looked up to see Harrison walk onto the field with a strong aura of confidence about him. Leaf saw him and waved, "Hey Harrison, good luck!"

The trainer looked up at his name and smile, "Leaf it is great to see you…and you as well Ash. We will catch up after the match." Leaf blushed lightly when Harrison gave her a roguish smile and felt her heart flutter. She simply shook her head and watched the match.

*PTCW*

Harrison selected his pokeball and threw it, "Houndoom your up!" A medium sized black dog with gray horns and a devil like tail landed on the field. Its back had three gray colored stripes and each of its legs had gray bands around the bottom and around its neck was a gray collar with a skull center piece.

Harrison's opponent was a younger trainer with glasses and a briefcase. "A fire type…alright then I will choose my Croconaw!" From the trainer's ball came a medium sized crocodile looking pokemon. Its scales were light blue and cream in color and it had red spins on its head, back and tail.

"Croconaw lets end this quickly with a hydro pump!" The water type took a deep breath and launched a massive stream of water.

"Protect." Houndoom lowered his head and the ultimate defensive move appeared around him. "You are going to have to do better than that to beat us."

The school boy growled, "Alright Croconaw get in close with ice punch followed by aqua tail!"

Harrison shook his head, "Counter with iron tail and then use sunny day." The duel type pokemon easily intercepted the ice punch and aqua tail before he fired a ball of orange energy into the air. Moments later the sun intensified and the area became very hot.

"Houndoom finish this with solarbeam at full power!" A powerful beam of white light fired from the fire type's mouth and slammed into the water type starter. The smoke cleared to reveal Houndoom standing with his teeth bared, "Croconaw is unable to battle, Houndoom and Harrison are the winners!"

Leaf squealed her approval and blushed when Harrison winked at her…something that Ash raised his eyebrow at. The trainer from Hoenn ran over and shook their hands, "Hey you two, how are things going?"

Ash nodded, "Battles, victories, and pokemon…not much more to say."

Leaf giggled at her friend, "Ash is just being uptight, he hates big cities."

Harrison smiled, "I can understand, me on the other hand, I love the big city. Meeting new people and exploring all the areas makes the adventure more amusing."

Leaf nodded her approval, "I know right? I could spend hours walking around and visiting all the new areas." Harrison and Leaf made eye contact and felt butterflies in their stomachs as they had a moment.

Ash shrugged, "To each their own…some of us have more important things to deal with."

Harrison cocked his head, "Like what?"

Ash's eyes grew cold, "None of your damn business."

Leaf rounded on Ash, "Ash that wasn't necessary, Harrison didn't deserve to be spoken to like that."

Her friend shrugged and turned towards the battle arena. "Ashton Satoshi Ketchum where are you going?"

Ash's cold voice sent shivers down both her and Harrison's spines, "To show these fools what being a trainer is about."

Leaf gulped as she looked at Harrison, "Did I say something?"

The beautiful brunette shook her head, "No, Ash has a…a very troubled past and he gets in very destructive moods."

Harrison was about to speak when the announcer spoke, "We have a last minute entry a native to the Kanto League and recent winner of the Indigo Plateau competition…Eclipse Silverline!"

Ash stepped out on the field with his cloak wrapped around him and Leaf sighed. The announcer started to speak but Ash held up his hand, "I want the one trainer who you view as the strongest in the group to step forward."

The group shuffled around until a single teen was left standing opposite of Ash. Ash's eyes flared with his psychic powers as he laid eyes on Gary Oak. "Surprised to see me Ashy boy? I figured that the Johto League would be a perfect time to put you in your place. This is just a little test of what is to come."

Gary kissed the pokeball in his hand before throwing it, "Nidoqueen go!"

Ash pulled a ball from his belt and hissed, "Charizard, end this!" Gary and the crowd gapped when the ball burst open and a massive black dragon appeared in the air. The referee raised his arms, "Begin!"

Gary wasted no time, "Nidoqueen knock him out with hyper beam!" His poison pokemon fired a massive beam of energy at the flying pokemon, "Counter with flamethrower and then earthquake." Charizard let loose a stream of flames that canceled out the hyper beam before he slammed his weight down into the ground. The battlefield splintered and cracked under the attack and caused massive damage to Gary's pokemon, "Nidoqueen get up and use ice beam!"

Ash rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, "Blast Burn." Charizard opened his mouth and created a large orb of white fire that grew bigger and bigger with every second. When the orb was the size of a melon, he roared and launched in at the incoming ice beam. The fire attack easily overpowered the ice beam and crashed into Nidoqueen. The resulting explosion sent up a mushroom cloud of fire, smoke, and dust.

Ash smiled coldly, "Blow away the smoke." Charizard flapped his wings and revealed Gary's unconscious pokemon. The referee raised a shaky flag and ended the battle. Ash returned his Charizard and turned to the ref, "When is the competition starting?"

He gulped at the intimidating aura that Ash gave off, "It starts tomorrow and goes through the weekend."

Ash nodded and turned away from the battlefield. Once he was out of sight the crowd broke into whispers about not only the rare Charizard but the quick defeat that was handed out by it.

*PTCW*

Harrison and Leaf rushed off to find Ash but were unable to locate the Kanto native. Leaf growled in anger before she sat down next to a tree, "I can't believe him…sometimes he can make me so mad!"

Harrison chuckled lightly as he sat down next to Leaf, "Well it could be worse. I mean, he could treat you like trash."

The brunette rolled her eyes, "Sometimes I wonder. I can't tell you the number of times he has left me to walk."

At her new friend's questioned glance she giggled, "I'm not a fan of flying and so whenever Ash chooses to fly we always argue. His response to it is leaving me to walk."

Harrison snorted, "Isn't he charming."

Leaf smiled lightly, "He usually comes back but there have been a few times that he has waited for me at the next pokemon center." Leaf tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and wrapped her arms around her knees. Harrison gulped when a gentle breeze blew against them and moved Leaf's hair. He would be a fool to say that she wasn't attractive she literally was the image of perfection. Her face was angelic and her body was curved in all the right areas. The breeze gently blew against her skirt and revealed more of her beautiful legs and a good portion of her hip. The trainer from Hoenn gulped again and looked away as a blush formed on his face, "Have you ever considered going on your own journey?"

Leaf turned to Harrison who was still looking away, "What do you mean?"

His voice was soft and confident, "Well like me for example. I have plenty of friends that I could travel with but I prefer to be on my own. It helps me bond with my pokemon as well as learn to survive on my own."

Leaf thought for a moment before she nodded gently, "I guess I can see that happening…but." She stopped and had a light frown on her face, "You don't know if you could survive without Ash."

The girl from Pallet looked up with shock, "It's obvious to anyone that you care a great deal for him and that he means the world to you. I think it is fantastic that you found someone who completes you so young in life."

Leaf smiled lightly, "You are very wise Harrison…something that is all too often not seen in guys…it's nice to see."

Harrison felt himself blush as Leaf's eyes met his and he cleared his throat before looking towards the city. Leaf giggled lightly at Harrison's reaction before she leaned back against the tree and waited with her new friend.

*PTCW*

Ash was currently standing near the edge of the sea with Alakazam just behind him. The dark trainer was deep in thought about the battle he had just won. His quick victory over his rival Gary left him feeling numb. Truth be told it left a bad taste in his mouth to the point that the trainer from Pallet spit when his stomach turned.

"_Master is everything alright?"_

Turning to his psychic pokemon he shrugged, "I didn't feel anything when I beat Gary just now. I would have expected to feel some sort of satisfaction at beating my apparent rival." Alakazam focused his eyes on his master and was about to respond when an elderly voice spoke, "Perhaps it means you need to think about your motivation."

Ash turned to see a very short old man in tan shorts and a red sweatshirt. His hair was white and his head had a backwards baseball cap. "Mr. Goodshow?"

The old man nodded and walked over, "It is a pleasure to see you again Ash…now what seems to be the problem?"

Ash was hesitant but decided it was alright to talk. The dark trainer went on to describe his issue and once he was done, Goodshow chuckled, "Just as I thought. My boy, you are simply suffering from a mid-life crisis."

Ash glared at the elderly man, "I'm only sixteen."

The President of the Pokemon League laughed louder, "My boy I'm not saying an actual one but something all trainers go through. After about three to four years of being on a journey, most trainers question what they want to do for their long term goals. Some become gym leaders, some Pokemon Coordinators, Doctors, Lawyers…you name it. The Pokemon Field has thousands of job opportunities for any kind of trainer."

Ash growled as he thought about his goal of defeating his father, "So you are saying I should give up and try something new?"

Goodshow shook his head, "Calm down child. I was simply saying that you might want to look at what you want to do after your short term goals are accomplished. I have said this before and I will again, you have a fire burning inside you and a battle style that is unique and powerful. You are a very talented Pokemon Trainer and would be a fool to let that slip."

Ash raised his eyebrow, "You never said that to me."

The old man nodded, "not directly to you but I witnessed you the night before the Indigo League Competition and saw all of this from the stands."

Ash remained silent and thought, "I guess I want something to do with battling and raising my pokemon. I value power and strength and can't see myself staying in a job that doesn't have that."

Goodshow nodded and smiled on the inside, "Have you ever considered becoming an Elite Four Member or even Champion?"

For the first time during the conversation Ash lightly smiled, "Of course…when I was younger it was all I could talk about until…certain things in my life changed."

"What is stopping you now?"

Ash shrugged, "I guess nothing but why are you telling me all this?"

Goodshow sat down in the sand and leaned back on his hands, "I'm getting old Ash and I have for a long time wondered what would happen to the Pokemon League after I left. I'm looking for my potential successor and I believe you are one of the few that could easily take it."

Ash's eyes widened, "Your joking?"

When Goodshow shook his head Ash fell to his knees, "But I'm only sixteen and I have…other things to attend to."

Charles took a deep breath and spoke softly, "You mean the defeat of your father."

Ash's eyes instantly flashed with power as his psychic energies roared to his call. Charles found himself floating in front of the now enraged trainer, "_How did you know!"_ The voice was cold and filled with malice.

"I may be old but I am not blind. Red Ketchum was a complete idiot for what he did to you and Delia."

Ash's glowing eyes softened at the mention of his mother's name, "Ash, I know the pain you are in my boy and by all means I challenge you to defeat your father but I am simply giving you an alternate path to doing so."

Charles felt himself touch down on the sand, "How?"

The League President ran a hand down his beard, "You are the current winner of the Kanto League and this alone gives you the right to challenge the Elite Four. But since Kanto and Johto hold joint Elite Four members it is kind of early. To take the challenge you must register with your region's Professor and then select a type you wish to specialize in.

Ash spoke up, "Why would I choose one type when I already have a complete team?"

Goodshow shook his head, "It is just an added rule for us to make things a little more interesting. True you have a team comprised of many different pokemon but by having you select a specific type it forces you not only to learn more about pokemon but it also helps you to create strategies to help counter weakness. "

Ash looked at Alakazam who shrugged, "Is there a type that I am not allowed to choose?"

Goodshow shook his head, "Everything is available for you to choose. Most trainers usually go with what their starter is."

Ash thought about Salamence, "So I would go with Dragon."

Goodshow nodded, "Charizard does go under that egg group so yes that would be a choice."

Ash remembered that Charles didn't know about Salamence, "Say I do choose to specialize in Dragon type pokemon what are my limits, because if memory serves me right several Elite Four members have pokemon that don't fall under their group."

Charles nodded, "Very true. Most of the time we preferred that you stay within your egg group or pokemon type but there are exceptions. Lance has an Aerodactyl and that doesn't fall in any dragon related categories outside of looking like one."

Ash went silent again before he spoke, "I will consider it."

Charles smiled, "That's all you can do young Ash." He pulled out a pocket watch and frown, "I wish I could stay longer but I have to go for a meeting. I hope you do it Ash… you won't regret it. Either way, I will see you again soon."

The trainer from Pallet watched the elderly man walk away before he returned Alakazam and walked off to go find Leaf.

**Alright guys a short chapter but a chapter none the less.**

**So Ash has a new option available to him…will he take it?**

**Let me know what you think Ash should do for a specialized type if he does. And to add some fun, tell me what "acceptations" you would consider in your type.**

**Ash's Team for reference**

**Salamence (Starter)**

**Scyther**

**Alakazam**

**Electabuzz**

**Dragonair**

**Rhydon**

**Gengar**

**Charizard**

**Snorlax**

**Kabutops**

**Anorith**

**Honchkrow**

**Send in ideas and reviews.**

**KingFatMan25**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ash slowly made his way towards the city as he debated Goodshow's suggestion. Becoming Champion had its benefits but he wouldn't be able to use his normal team until he did so. If he went with Dragon type pokemon he would only be able to for sure use Salamence, Dragonair, and Charizard. If you counted looks then maybe Rhydon and Anorith once they evolve. Dragon types were considered the perfect type having only two weaknesses. But even their vulnerability to ice and dragon attacks could be overcome with simple planning. Their speed and powers are legendary and even worshipped in select portions of the world. The Champion of the Kanto/Johto Elite Four knows their power as he trains them. Lance was probably the most famous of all dragon trainers out there. Of course you had Clair of Blackthorn City and the people from the Unova Region but they just didn't come into the same class of power and grace that Lance held.

Thinking on the trainer made Ash mentally snort at the stupidity of the Kanto/Johto Elite Four, the two regions are so close together that they never separated their elites. In reality…the Elite Four consists of eight trainers. From the Kanto district you have Lorelei the Mistress of Ice and Seduction, Bruno the Master of all things fighting, Agatha the very image of a Ghost Master, and of course Lance the Dragon Master. From Johto you have Will as the Psychic Master, recently instated Koga, whom utilizes poison pokemon, Karen the beautiful Mistress of Dark pokemon and finally Red Ketchum as the Champion. Each Year the group of trainers come together to decide who will represent the Elite Four and Champion position for the next year. This year's rotation consists of Lorelei, Agatha, Karen, Lance, and Red as the Champion. Ash stopped his thoughts when he looked up and saw a massive library and couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. He quickly walked in to get as many books on the types that appealed to him.

*PTCW*

Leaf and Harrison were walking around the city as they tried to find Ash. For every fifteen minutes that went by without a sign, Leaf steadily grew angry. Finally after an hour of searching she clenched her fists, "ASH KETCHUM WHERE ARE YOU!" Harrison flinched back and sweat dropped from the outburst. He was about try and comfort Leaf when an elderly chuckled turned them around, "Last I saw him he was heading into the library."

The two teens turned around and let their eyes widen, "President Goodshow!" The old man nodded, "I just had a nice little chat with Ash and I must say he is one of a kind."

Leaf nodded, "That he is."

Charles smiled, "I'd love to stay and talk but I have a meeting to get to. Enjoy the festival."

Leaf smiled at the little man before shaking her head and running to the library. Harrison chuckled and looked at his cell phone, "Hey Leaf, I will see you later; I am going to head back to the Pokemon Center."

The brunette waved over her shoulder, "Sounds good, see you later Harrison!"

Leaf walked into the library and moved to the front desk where the librarian was working on her computer, "Excuse me have you seen a young man about six feet tall with a pokeball necklace on? He might be in a black cape."

The woman behind the counter nodded, "Yes he came in about thirty minutes ago and is at the back table on the upstairs level."

Leaf smiled, "Thank you." Upon reaching her destination she felt her eyes widen at the number of books Ash had before him. The table was covered with close to twenty books on different types and strategies regarding pokemon.

"What are you doing?"

Ash looked up from his book and put a finger to his lips, "Shh."

Leaf opened her mouth in shock before she shook her head, "Did you just shush me?"

Ash looked up and playfully glared at her before returning to his book. Leaf growled and walked over to see some of the titles. _The Secret of the Dragon, Fly High with Flying Pokemon, How To Specialize in Pokemon Types, So You Want To Be A Champion?_

Leaf looked at them before sitting next to Ash, "What is this all about?" Her best friend put his finger on the line he was on and turned, "I'm taking the Elite Four Challenge and I have to select a pokemon type to do so."

Leaf's blue eyes widened, "You kidding right?" When Ash shook his head Leaf spoke up, "Ashy how do you expect to do that if you have the Silver Conference to compete in?"

Ash sighed, "I am going to put a hold on it. President Goodshow told me that I can challenge them because I won the Indigo Plateau. I just need to decide on the type of pokemon that I want to specialize in." "Isn't that unfair to the rest of your team?"

Ash nodded, "I realized that too and there is a way around that. I have to defeat a Champion in a Champion battle and should I win, this would give me a chance to become a Champion that uses multiple types of Pokemon. But in order to do this I have to defeat them using one type."

Leaf nodded in understanding, "Have you chosen a type yet?"

Ash pointed to a list of all seventeen pokemon types and the ones he had not crossed off, "Dragon, Flying, Psychic, Ghost, or Rock."

Leaf scrunched her face which caused Ash to smile, "You really cute when you do that." His friend smiled, "I know. I can understand Dragon, Flying, and Psychic but why Ghost or Rock?"

Ash thought for a moment, "Ghost types share many characteristics with psychic pokemon but at the same time they are one of the best out there because of their abilities to resist most physical attacks. Rock type pokemon are often frowned upon because they have a large weakness pool but at the same time they have a massive amount of defense and some have almost legendary level attack."

Leaf sat there for a moment as she looked over the list and books before her, "I would say going with dragons would be your best bet. I mean, think about it Ashy, Salamence is your most powerful pokemon. None of your other team members come close to his power."

The dark trainer nodded and closed a couple of books. "I guess you are right…but there is one issue. What does that mean for us traveling together?"

Leaf was caught off guard by the question and slowly looked at Ash. His eyes were soft and showing concern and worry, "What do you mean?"

Ash sighed, "I don't want you to put your life on hold just because I'm changing my goals but the last thing I want is…is for you not to be in my life."

Leaf squeaked at the weakness in his voice as he spoke, "Ash I…I don't know."

Her friend's shoulders sagged, "Alright. Just think about it and let me know." Ash collected his books and left a troubled Leaf behind.

*PTCW*

Later that night, Leaf lay in her bed as she watched Ash sleeping next to her. He was so calm when he slept that it was almost like watching a completely different person. Her thoughts drifted to their conversation and his reasoning. The brunette slowly sat up and put on a sweatshirt over her night clothes and walked down to the main center. Nurse Joy was sitting at the desk working on paperwork and smiled at Leaf. "Nurse Joy can I use the phone?" When the Nurse nodded, Leaf walked over and dialed her home number. It rang several times before it clicked and a tired sounding voice spoke,

"_Hello?"_

Leaf smiled lightly, "Hi daddy."

The screen switched on and Jonathan Green appeared with a large smile on his face, "_How's my baby girl doing?" _

Leaf smiled sadly, "Ok I guess."

A pregnant pause fell between the two before John spoke, "_Sweetheart what is wrong? I know that face…did Ash hurt you!"_

Leaf quickly shook her head as tears filled her eyes, "No daddy he didn't hurt me but something has come up."

John fell silent as his daughter started to explain. "Ash ran into President Goodshow and had a talk with him. Long story short, Ash made the choice to take on the Elite Four Challenge and finally take on his father. But to do it he has to specialize in a specific type of pokemon. He decided on Dragon type pokemon and is planning on putting the Johto League on hold so he can prepare."

John's mind quickly put together the issue, "_And Ash gave you a decision to make if you wanted to continue with him."_

Leaf nodded slowly and her father sighed, "_Baby girl, I'm guessing that he said he didn't want you to put your life on hold?" _

Leaf nodded, "How did you know?"

"_I said the same thing to your mother years ago when she had a job option. Obviously we are still together but it is that trust that couples need in order to move forward._"

Leaf smiled lightly, "So you think I should continue on my Johto journey?" When her father nodded she sighed, "I guess I should tell Ash."

John watched his little girl and smiled, "_Baby girl, put everything on the table and be honest with him. This is the chance you have been waiting for."_

Leaf looked at her father and nodded, "Thanks daddy, I love you."

Jonathan smiled, "_Love you too sweetheart."_

Leaf hung up the phone and walked back to her room and found Ash sitting up in bed. He smiled tiredly at her, "Hey is everything alright?"

Leaf bit her bottom lip and walked over to the bed. "Can we talk?"

Ash nodded, "You know you never have to ask." Leaf sat down next to him and took a deep breath, "I love you Ash."

Her best friend smiled, "I love you too. What's wrong?"

She shook her head, "No I mean I really love you…like rest of our lives love you."

Ash's mouth tightened slightly as he looked at her, "Ok…what brought this on?"

Leaf felt her confidence grow as Ash leaned back to listen, "You deciding to take the challenge. I thought about it and I decided to continue on my Johto Journey while you train."

Ash was silent as he processed her words but on the inside he felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as he realized she wouldn't be with him. "So tonight is our last night?"

Leaf nodded slowly, "I knew you were planning on leaving right away so I wanted to be honest with each other. I know you have suspected it but I'm telling you now, I love you Ash."

Her friend was silent as he looked out the window at the brilliant lights coming from the city. "Ashy? Please say something."

Ash turned and looked at her, "I have always known…I just didn't want to risk losing you. You are the only thing I have to wake up to in the morning Leaf and losing you would kill me."

Leaf let a single tear fall down her cheek as her friend started showing more emotion than he had ever shown before. "All the things we went through and all the times I would attack other guys was because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you."

Ash felt his heart pounding painfully in his chest as his most powerful emotion pushed all of his hatred aside for a moment, "Leaf…I lov…"

Ash was cut off when his best friend kissed him like nothing he had ever experienced. The two friends moaned as their feelings were pushed into their passion and soon Leaf was on top of Ash.

They pulled apart and she looked at him, "I know Ash…but now isn't the time for words."

*PTCW*

The sound of birds chirping filtered into the room as the first signs of dawn crept in. Ash's eyes fluttered open and he groaned out loud as he rubbed his eyes. Feeling Leaf shift next to him, he turned and looked at her. A small smile came to his lips as he turned and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. For so long Ash had pushed the emotion of love aside for his hatred of his father…ignoring what was easily the most important thing in his life. Leaf shifted as she felt Ash's hands and opened her eyes. Her best friend was looking at her with a warm smile, "Morning beautiful."

Leaf smiled back and kissed him gently on the lips, "I love you so much Ash."

He returned her kiss and pulled her to him, "I love you too." They remained like this for almost an hour until they decided to get ready for the day. As the two checked out of the Pokemon Center they held hands and slowly walked to the edge of town. Ash knew that Leaf was going to challenge Jasmine for the next badge so he wanted to leave so she could focus.

Ash pulled her to him and inhaled her sweet scent, "I will miss you Leaf. I will make sure I'm there to cheer you on."

He pulled back and took out four pokeballs and handed them to Leaf. "I want you to take care of them while I am gone. I will call Professor Oak and tell him that you are able to use my pokemon while I am training. This is Alakazam, Electabuzz, Honchkrow, and Gengar."

Leaf took the balls and put them in her bag, "I will watch them Ash…but you are taking them back right?"

Her love chuckled, "Of course but I need to concentrate on the challenge and it wouldn't be fair to them to sit at the ranch. At least this way they will be able to get some exercise."

Leaf nodded and pulled out a pokeball and handed it to Ash. "I want you to take Seadra with you. When she evolves she will be a Kingdra and will make a great addition to your team."

Ash shook his head and pushed the ball back, "I am not taking your pokemon. You need your team with you and mine are there for added security."

Leaf sighed as she agreed and turned back to Ash. They fell silent as he released Salamence. Leaf grabbed Ash and hugged him again, "I love you…make me proud."

Ash hugged her back and felt a tear in his eye, "I love you too…I'm sorry it took so long."

Leaf looked up at him and kissed him with all her love. The two trainers held each other for another minute before Ash jumped onto Salamence's back.

"Let's go buddy…we have some pokemon to capture."

Leaf waved as Ash took off and flew in the direction of Mt. Silver. The brunette smiled to herself as she released Alakazam who looked at her with a happy grin, "Care to keep me company Alakazam?" The psychic type nodded, "_Of course Mistress."_ Leaf turned and walked towards an open field to train for her upcoming battle.

*PTCW*

**Time Skip 3 weeks**

Ash growled in anger as he found himself looking at another tree blocking his way. The now official dragon trainer was in the Hoenn Region looking for pokemon that he could add to his team. Since leaving Leaf he had captured an Arbok that had been guarding a group of Ekans, an overpowered Seadra, a Treecko that wouldn't leave its tree and his best accomplishment, a mother Tyranitar and her child Larvitar. The final two had been running from poachers and Ash had saved them as he was flying over Mt. Silver. The Larvitar had wanted to go with Ash but the mother wasn't ready to part with her youngster so Ash accepted both of them. Tyranitar was one of the acceptations for his dragon team as they could easily fit the part. While researching, Ash was amazed at the list of pokemon that had been included in the dragon egg group. Arbok and Treecko were great examples as well as the Hoenn natives Seviper and Milotic, both of which Ash was intending to add into his party.

Looking at the tree, Ash pulled a ball out, "Dragonair I need your help."

The beautiful dragon appeared and looked at her master, "Use Hyper Beam to clear a path."

His pokemon nodded and fired a massive beam of energy at the tree. It exploded and split in two smaller sections, leaving an open path way. Ash smiled as he saw a lake at the end of the path and walked to it with his pokemon following. When he reached the lake he crouched down and simply waited. There had been rumors of the dragon pokemon Flygon coming to this lake as it was close to the desert so they still felt comfortable. After about an hour of waiting, Ash heard the sound of wings and looked up to see the pokemon he was waiting for slowly land. It looked around before dipping its head to the crystal clear water and drinking.

Ash seized the moment, "Dragonair use ice beam!" A ball of blue energy flashed in front of the dragon's mouth before she fired the attack. The beam slammed into Flygon's side and sent the pokemon sailing into the ground.

"While he is down use dragon rush!" Dragonair took on a blue aura as she charged at her target. Flygon used his bug like wings to become upright and fired a powerful beam at the oncoming threat.

"Dragonair spin to the left and add iron tail!" His dragon easily avoided the hyper beam and then slammed her tail into Flygon. The combined power of iron tail and dragon rush easily crushed the other dragon to the ground.

Ash smiled and enlarged a pokeball, "You are mine Flygon." The dark trainer threw the ball and it hit its target and sucked it in. It hit the ground and swerved for several seconds before clicking, signifying the capture.

Ash walked over and picked up the ball and clipped it to his belt, "Great job Dragonair." His pokemon cooed and leaned into her master's hand before she let a breath of air go and started to glow white. Ash stepped back as Dragonair started to change shape until she was the form of a powerful looking Dragonite. The mighty creature flapped her new wings and bellowed out in triumph before tackling Ash to the ground and licking his face.

The Kanto trainer cried out, "Ok ok ok! Let me up you big Meowth!" His newly evolved pokemon smiled and rubbed her head against him again, "I'm happy for you as well Dragonite…it has been a long time coming."

Dragonite helped her trainer up before turned and letting him jump onto her back, "Let's go my dear; we have a long way to go." Dragonite roared out before pushing herself into the air.

*PTCW*

Leaf sighed to herself as she took some time to rest after arriving in Blackthorn City. The City was relatively quiet and that suited her just fine. After traveling alone for so long she had come accustomed to the silence that came with it. She thought back to last conversation she had with Ash. He had told her that he was just arriving in Hoenn and would try to get a hold of her as soon as he could. The Pallet Town trainer would be lying to herself if she said she was fine with Ash being on his own. Hell, she had half a mind to strap him into a straight jacket and leave him in Pallet but she knew it was for the best. She had run into Harrison a couple of times since Olivine City and whatever minor attraction she had once held for him was gone. She simply forgot about it since Ash confessed to her. Harrison was nice enough and seemed to look out for her but she only saw him as a friend.

As for her pokemon journey…a lot had happened. First and foremost was her win streak. Since taking Ash's team with her she had upped her training and with Ash's pokemon helping her, her team had grown by leaps and bounds. She had captured a cute little Chikorita which had evolved into a Bayleef and her proudest capture was a fully evolved Togekiss. Her team was overall well rounded and she felt confident in her abilities as a trainer. The Blackthorn City gym leader used Dragon type pokemon so Leaf was going to spend a couple of days training and preparing a strategy for the battle. The Johto League was still four months away so she had plenty of time to prepare. She could go with brute force and use her starter, Venusaur but the leader; Clair had a reputation that only a fool would ignore. Leaf giggled lightly to herself as she started to think like Ash. She glanced up and out the window to view the sunset with one thought on her mind…to make Ash proud.

**TIME SKIP**

Two long years…that's how long it was since Ash Ketchum also known as Eclipse Silverline had been training for his challenge against the Elite Four. Ash had traveled all over the five regions collecting pokemon that would fit into his dragon party and now he was standing outside of the Pokemon League Headquarters. Inside sat a group of the world's most powerful trainers and their regional champions. Ash's eyes hardened as he walked into the main hall and was met with a rather attractive looking secretary. She looked up and brushed a strand of her violet hair while putting on a cute smile, "Can I help you sir?"

What could have been a pleasant conversation turned sour when she leaned forward and showed off her womanly assets. Ash mentally snorted, sure this girl was pretty but nothing compared to his Leaf. Just the thought of his girlfriend made him smile as he went off into dream land. The two years of training had been lonely and hard for him but the two of them knew it was for the best. They called each other whenever they had the chance but seeing someone you love through a screen just wasn't the same.

Leaf was currently in Pallet Town taking a break from her adventures in the Sinnoh Region. Thanks to the training she and Ash had done together when they started their journey, Leaf had made quick work of the region's gym leaders and obtained her eighth badge with four months to train for the Sinnoh League.

Ash had been so proud of her when he found out that he almost abandoned his training just to go see her. The last time they had physically seen each other was when Leaf was competing in the Johto League. Ash surprised her as she won her first match in the finals and let's just say that no one saw the two for the remainder of the evening. Ash was taken out of his thoughts when the secretary cleared her throat and leaned forward some more, "Sir? Is there _anything _I can do for you?"

Ash rolled his eyes and presented his pokedex, "I'm here to challenge the Elite Four."

The young ladies' eyes widened before she smiled, "Well they are in a meeting so I could keep you company if you are lonely."

Ash shook his head, "Just the registry is alright."

The girl frowned in what most would consider cute but to Ash it was annoying. He collected his pokedex and went to the phone on the opposite side of the room and dialed. The phone rang for a good thirty seconds before the imposing image of Jonathan Green appeared on the screen.

At the sight of Ash he cracked a huge smile, "_Well I'll be damned…Ash Ketchum in the flesh. How are you doing kid?"_

Ash smiled lightly, showing a rare trace of emotion, "I'm doing just fine sir. I was wondering if Leaf was around."

Leaf's father chuckled, "_Good man checking in on your woman. I will call her over."_

Ash shook his head, "Actually I was hoping you could not tell her. I wanted to surprise her by having you guys come to the Indigo Plateau."

Jonathan's eyes widened at the significance of the meaning, "_You are taking the challenge?"_

At Ash's nod John smiled wider, "_At a boy Ash! I knew you had it in you. You do realize that Leaf will be hard to keep in the stands."_

Ash laughed at this and nodded, "I wouldn't expect her to. It has been a long two years for the two of us."

John nodded, "_You have no idea. Every other day she was calling wondering if Delia, Oak, or Violet and I heard anything. I hate to break it to you Ash but you just might be stuck with her for life." _

John smirked, "_I do have one request, I get to play the overprotective father at least once."_

Ash chuckled and nodded, "I would be honored sir. And for the record I have every intention of seeing it through."

John smiled again and nodded his approval, "_Good luck kid. We will be waiting for news in good old Pallet." _

Ash chuckled as the screen went blank. He turned and looked around the center and walked over to the trophy case that was parallel to front desk. Inside the glass case were the trophies and pictures of many Champions from the past. Ash quickly picked out Professor Oak's display and the picture was nothing short of inspiring. It showed a much younger Professor Oak giving a command to his Dragonite. The pokemon in question had its wings almost tucked to its body in mid flap. Its face showed determination as the first signs of a hyper beam was seen forming in its mouth. If it hadn't been a picture, Ash would have expected it to finish charging and launch the attack.

Turning his attention to the other displays, the dragon trainer's gaze hardened when he found his father's. It showed Red standing with his arms crossed and a Pikachu launching a thunderbolt. The opponent's pokemon was a Machamp and it was clearly in pain from the electric attack. Ash's mind went to work as he thought about his father's known party. It consisted of his Pikachu, Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur, Snorlax, and the final spot alternated between his Espeon and Lapras. The team type wise was nothing but average but with the combination of attacks, stats, and levels of his pokemon there was no doubt in Ash's mind that his father would be a force to be reckoned with.

While some would look at the pictures and only see past and present champions, Ash looked at it as a wealth of knowledge. Any trainer with a decent set of skills would be able to look at these pictures and plan a decent team around them. Granted some of the Champions rotated their teams but they still had their specialized types. That was one of the things that separated Red Ketchum from the rest. His Pokemon were legendary for their abilities to get out of tough situations. The battle against Lance was considered one of the greatest for his generation and was replayed regularly on the official Pokemon League Network.

Ash lightly smiled as he thought about the one flaw that his father had and that was fighting an opponent who used the same strategy. Dragon pokemon were power…and there was no other way to put it. Even ones that didn't evolve like Unova's Druddigon were a threat to be had. Ash gently slid his hand over his belt that contained his pokemon team and smirked coldly as he looked at his father's face.

He was ready to begin his conquest and his team would be the aide he needed in destroying Red Ketchum.

**Chapter done.**

**There you go my friends, the first chapter of the newest content. Lol**

**The time is coming that I see the end of the tunnel. And a little surprise for all my followers…I have started the remake of Facing the Past. It will be the story I work on when I'm done with Conflict Within. **

**As always, send in ideas and reviews.**

**KingFatMan25**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"_Rumors are coming from Kanto that the Dragon Master Lance has been issued a challenge by a trainer originating from Kanto. The young trainer defeated the first three of the Elite Four in battle just one week ago and the expected challenge came much faster than some thought. The Final member of the Kanto/Johto Elite Four has expressed that he is very eager to face this new challenge as the challenger has yet to use more than three pokemon in a battle. The thing that makes this even more interesting is that the challenger, per the Elite Four Challenge rules, is taking on the region's strongest trainers with a team of Dragon types. Lance has been gone all week training with his team and the event will be hosted live from Victory Stadium at Indigo Plateau. The Kanto and Johto Region gym leaders, Elite Four members and Professors will be present for this monumental battle."_

The TV clicked off and a beautiful brunette smiled lightly as she thought about the challenge. Most people would be pulling their hair out trying to figure out the identity of the challenger but she knew who it was. Leaf glanced over at the wall and smiled at all the pictures that were present from her journey. Two years ago she and her best friend/crush Ash Ketchum had parted ways so he could train for the Elite Four Challenge. Leaf sighed as she thought about how difficult things had been with Ash being gone. First and foremost was the fact that she no longer had anyone to cuddle with…the feeling of Ash's muscular arms around her always made her feel safe and carefree. The second issue was in the form of Gary Oak. With Ash off training the arrogant prick had tried on multiple occasions to pick her up for a date but the answer was always the same. Sure Leaf had made new friends on her journey, specifically in the forms of May and Dawn, two pokemon coordinators from Hoenn and Sinnoh, but it just wasn't the same without her Ashy.

Leaf was brought out of her thoughts when her phone started vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw the name Dawn across the screen. She tapped the screen and answered, "Hey Dawn what up?"

The cheerful voice of her friend came from the other end, "_What's up? That is the only thing you have to say to me after that news clip?"_

Leaf giggled into the phone, "What would you have me say?"

Dawn groaned, "_How about how excited you are? You can't tell me that that isn't Ash who is challenging Lance. I mean, who else has that kind of battle powers?"_

Leaf smiled lightly at the mention of her best friend, "I'm sure there are plenty of people that could achieve that kind of battle skill."

Leaf's friend groaned over the phone, "_Seriously girl you need to wake up and smell the roses."_

The Kanto native giggled again, "Alright Dawn I yield. Ash may be the one who is challenging Lance."

Leaf's blue haired friend squealed over the phone, "_Oh my Arceus you have to be so excited. Not only is your man achieving his dream but he will have you both set for life with the winning money."_

Leaf blushed, "Dawn for the last time he isn't my man."

Dawn replied in a sly voice, "_So he is available?"_

The brunette gritted her teeth at her friend, "He is not available and you know it."

Dawn's laughter filled Leaf's ear, "_Calm down princess I wouldn't do that to you…although you do know that May and I wouldn't mind sharing him with you. Let's say we alternate days."_

The coordinator from Sinnoh had to pull her phone back when Leaf replied, "DAWN!"

*PTCW*

A man stood firmly on his side of the battle field as he waited for his opponent to select his pokemon. Outside of his features looking more mature, nothing had really changed about Ash Ketchum in the two years he had been training. His body was still the same, outside of the more toned muscle from working with his new pokemon. Across from him was a man about the same age as Ash with an equally determined look on his face. He had purple hair and wore a simple traveling outfit along with a backpack that was slung over his shoulder.

He gripped his pokeball in his hand and tossed it, "Torterra stand by for battle!" A massive green turtle shaped pokemon appeared onto the field and caused a crack in the field from his weight.

Ash smirked and selected his pokemon, "Charizard secure my victory!" Ash's shiny Kanto starter appeared and blew a stream of fire into the air.

"Flamethrower!" Not even stopping to take a breath, the dragon tilted his head and launched an even stronger stream of flames at the enemy.

"Brace yourself." Paul's Torterra dug his clawed feet into the ground and put his head down just as the flames wrapped around him. The grass type remained strong for a moment before Paul ordered his next move, "Break and counter with stone edge."

His pokemon roared and thrust his head up and broke the stream of flames before rings of white energy surrounded him and launched at Charizard in the form of pointed stones.

"Charizard counter with Flare Blitz." The fire type roared as his body was engulfed in flames and with a flap of his wings he was propelled forward.

Paul wasted no time, "Hyper Beam." An orb of white with a pink middle formed in the continental Pokémon's mouth before it fired out with a force that pushed up a cloud of dust. Charizard met the hyper beam and stone edge with full fury and the field was covered in a thick layer of smoke.

Ash's eyes flashed blue as his psychic powers flared and with a wave of his hand the field was revealed. Both pokemon were standing but covered in bruises. "Good enough for now you two…go take a rest."

Ash smiled at his faithful pokemon as he took off while Paul returned his Torterra, "Should I be worried Ketchum? Your timing was a little off there."

The Kanto native chuckled lightly before walking towards the Pokemon Center that was sitting near the entrance to the stadium. The two men sat down at a table and waited as a Chansey brought them two big platters of food. Ash nodded in thanks to the pokemon before looking at Paul, "So what do you think?"

His friend finished chewing, "What do I think about becoming your final Elite Four member?" Paul paused, "I guess I have nothing better to do."

Ash sweat dropped before switching the topic, "The only downside is that you need to select a type to specialize in and before you say anything I already have one for you to consider." Paul nodded and motioned for Ash to explain, "What do Torterra, Honchkrow, Weavile, Drapion, Aggron, and Froslass have in common?"

The trainer from Sinnoh thought a moment, "They all have dual types."

Ash nodded, "Exactly. The vast majority of your pokemon have two types and you have an astounding ability to bring out the best of both. I checked with Goodshow and he said it wasn't the craziest idea he has ever heard, the only downside is that from this point forward you can only capture and train pokemon with two types."

Paul gave Ash a sarcastic look, "Like that is a big issue, what about the ones I have that don't have two types?"

Ash nodded, "You can keep them but only use them in battles between Elites or field challenges. If you are in an Elite Four competition then you have to use your team."

Paul nodded his head as he thought more about it. "It sounds reasonable so what about you? When is your battle against Lance?"

Ash looked over at a TV that happened to be playing a news clip on the upcoming battle. I have a week yet to train before our battle takes place."

Paul glanced at the TV, "I normally wouldn't ask this but you are facing a Champion level trainer…so…you nervous?"

Ash ignored him and remained silent. Paul growled and grabbed his friend by the shoulder, "Listen Ash…I only show concern once a region and you just missed it."

The dark trainer chuckled, "Chill out Paul, I am nervous yes but more than anything I am restless."

Ash's gaze hardened, "I know I can beat Lance and when I do I will be ready to take down my father."

Paul shivered slightly as Ash's psychic powers sent a small wave of wind over the area, "Ketchum you need to calm down before you destroy another building."

Ash closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he slumped against the back of his seat, "I have come so far and just the thought of losing to the likes of him is…unbearable."

Paul shrugged, "Would it really be so bad?" When his friend glared at him Paul put his hands up, "Hey don't get me wrong, I hate the jerk as much as you. No man should abandon a family in pursuit of fame and fortune. What I am saying is that if you lose don't look at it as a bad thing. Look at it in the fact that he will be sweating at night knowing his own son is out for his title and blood. Being up on that little mountain of his can's provide that much in regards of actual training…even if Mt. Silver is one of the hardest places in the world to train at. Even if you do lose you will be able to train for a year and then take him on again. In all honesty I would put it off."

Ash nodded his understanding, "I realize that Paul and I appreciate your wisdom but I have put this off for too long." The two young men remained silent as they tucked into their meal.

*PTCW*

Leaf's heart was beating a million times a second as she slowly walked towards the massive building known as Victory Stadium. To her left and right were her two best friends in the world outside of Ash, May Maple and Dawn Berlitz. The two girls had surprised Leaf and arrived a day ago at her home in Pallet Town to come and cheer on Ash. Leaf was only too happy to agree and spent the day catching up with her girlfriends. Leaf glanced over at them and saw that they were just as nervous as she was. This would be the first time they saw and met Ash in the flesh and the stories about him left them somewhat intimidated. Behind the girls was another sizable group in the shape of Leaf's parents, Ash's Mother, and finally the Oak's. Professor Oak was smiling ear to ear as he thought about one of his trainers taking on Lance while Gary was scowling at the thought of Ash besting him.

Leaf rolled her eyes as the arrogant trainer saw her and puffed up with pride in yet another attempt to impress her. The group arrived at the main entrance and Professor Oak showed the security guard his pass, "Right this way Professor Oak."

The group followed the man and were led to an elevator and squeezed in before heading up to the top floor. They arrived at a massive room that overlooked the stadium and had a large buffet set out on the right side. An ice carving of the legendary birds sat in the center of a beautiful fruit display and sparkled in the light.

Dawn clapped her hands to the sides of her face, "Oh my Arceus this room is so beautiful!"

Professor Oak chuckled, "This is the box used by champions and special guests of the Pokemon League. Considering we are Ash's closest friends we have certain privileges." May and Dawn were about to argue but the smell of food kept their mouths shut. The elevator chimed, signaling another entry and when the doors opened it revealed Charles Goodshow with a large group of people.

Leaf's eyes widened as she realized that all the members of the Elite Four were present as well as a couple of others. The first was a beautiful blonde with black clothing and four tear drop shaped hair pieces. The second was a well groomed man with a cape; the third was a man with silver hair and a business suit on while the fourth was a man in tan clothing and a mane of red hair.

Gary gulped, "Those are the other regional champions, Cynthia from Sinnoh, Wallace from Hoenn, Adler from Unova, and former Hoenn champion Steven Stone."

Professor Oak smiled, "Charles my old friend it is good to see you."

The old men shook hands, "Samuel I must say it has been a long time. I must congratulate you on another one of your trainers making it this far."

Cynthia spoke up, "Forgive my interruption but is this the Assassin of Kanto we have heard about?"

Delia giggled, "That is my little Ash. I'm so proud of him."

Leaf smiled, "We all are Delia. I can't wait to see him again."

Dawn blushed, "We all can't wait."

Cynthia smiled lightly, "So has anyone spoken to Ash to see if he has a plan?"

Everyone turned to Leaf and Delia but both shook their heads, "Sorry but Ash hasn't contacted us in a few weeks. That is how he is when a massive challenge is coming. You should have seen him for the Kanto League a few years back."

Samuel nodded, "But it was that determination that won him the League." The group of people spent the next several minutes eating and getting better acquainted before May pointed out that it was time for the battle to start. Leaf sat down in the front with her friends and family and took a deep breath as the announcer started speaking.

*PTCW*

"_**Ladies and Gentlemen, we would like to welcome you to Victory Stadium and this Elite Four Challenge match! I'm not going to waste time explaining things so let's just get down to business…In the red corner we have a legend amongst trainers. He is one of the few men to be called a Master of Dragons and has remained part of the Elite Four for the last six years. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Dragon Master Lance!"**_

The crowd exploded as the member of the Elite Four walked out with his cape drifting behind him. Lance took his position and waved to the crowd before falling still.

"_**And in the green corner we have our challenger. Because of the rules of the Elite Four Challenge, he has chosen dragon type pokemon as his team and has already made a very impressive advance. He was victorious in the Kanto League two years ago and has now set his sights on a bigger prey. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the Assassin of Kanto…Ash Ketchum!" **_

Ash walked out with his cloak billowing around him and his eyes glowing blue from his amplified psychic powers. He ran his hand over the six balls on his belt and felt their power. For two long years he had trained to reach this spot and he wasn't going to lose. The final ball around his neck contained Salamence and his starter was eager for battle. Ash had decided to let his beast out for the final matchup. Ash glanced up at the VIP box and felt Leaf's presence. He smiled briefly before putting on his hardened battle face and selected the first ball.

The referee raised his hands, "Both trainers have six pokemon and an unlimited time set. Substitutions are allowed and only when all six of either trainer's pokemon are unable to battle with the match be over." He looked at Ash and Lance, "trainers ready…begin!" Both men threw a pokeball and they snapped open with a hiss and released their contents.

*PTCW*

From Lance's ball emerged a large Gyarados and from Ash's a large black dragon with two massive scythe like tusks. "Gyarados vs. Haxorus…begin!"

Lance made the first move, "Gyarados use rain dance followed up with hydro pump!" The serpentine dragon glowed blue before rearing his head back and launching an orb of energy into the sky. Clouds gathered and with a single crack of thunder, rain started drenched the field. Lance's pokemon quickly followed up with a powerful stream of water that sailed right at Ash's shiny pokemon.

Ash's eyes hardened, "Defend with sword dance and counter with dragon claw!" His pokemon roared and started spinning at a fast rate. The hydro pump hit him and was quickly dispersed by the rate of the defense. Using the momentum from his defense, Haxorus launched forward with his razor sharp claws glowing green with draconic energy. He brought them down hard on Lance's Pokémon's head.

"Hyper beam!" Haxorus quickly reared his head back and flung it forward, launching out a white beam with a pink interior point blank at his opponent. The force of the attack actually propelled Ash's dragon into the air and put him at a safe distance from any counter.

Lance's eyes widened as he looked upon the severally weakened form of his pokemon, "Gyarados you can do this…use dragon rage!" His pokemon struggled to get up but was able to open his jaws and let loose a stream of blue flames. The attack engulfed Haxorus and the dragon called out in pain.

Ash smirked, "Brace yourself and use dragon dance." His pokemon roared as he brought his arms up and slashed them across his chest, canceling the attack. Moments later his body was surrounded with red and black energy that crackled with power before being absorbed into his body. "Dragon Rush!" The Axe Jaw pokemon charged forward with a powerful blue aura around him and crashed into Gyarados. The dust from the attack vanished and revealed Lance's pokemon unconscious.

"Gyarados is unable to battle; this round goes to Ash and his Haxorus!"

*PTCW*

Leaf cheered loudly as Ash returned his pokemon which caused Dawn and May to giggle, "Someone is a little happy."

Leaf mockingly glared at her friends before giggling herself, "I'm just so proud of him."

Delia nodded in agreement, "I'm just happy that he is finally using his own name in battle. I understand wanting to keep himself out of the public eye but why should you hide who you really are?"

Professor Oak nodded in agreement, "I'm very impressed with that Haxorus…not only did he manage to make it powerful enough to take down an Elite level pokemon but it is also a shiny."

Gary moaned, "Why does that second rate loser have all the luck? I'm ten times the trainer and yet he is the one in the Elite Four Challenge."

Samuel rolled his eyes at his grandson as he tried to ignore him, "I mean, we never even battled so he doesn't know the meaning of power."

Leaf snorted, "And like you do? Gary your best pokemon is a second rate Blastoise and you lost to me in the Johto League, remember?"

Gary waved it off, "I let you win because I felt bad for you. Besides, what kind of trainer abandons his whole team in an attempt to become more powerful?"

Leaf was about to respond when a ball on her belt burst open and Ash's Alakazam appeared in front of her with his eyes glowing blue. Gary was lifted into the air and thrown back into the wall. Leaf put a hand on Ash's Pokémon's shoulder, "Alakazam enough, he isn't worth it."

The psychic pokemon turned and sat down on the floor next to Leaf while Gary groaned in the background. Surprisingly, no one got up to help him.

*PTCW*

Lance smiled as he selected his next pokemon, "I'm impressed Ash. Not many people have been able to get past my Gyarados but you have just shown me that the kiddy gloves get to come off."

Ash smiled darkly, "I am always up for a fight."

Lance threw his next ball, "Altaria, I need your assistance!"

Ash followed suit, "Arbok end this!" From Lance's ball came a blue pokemon that looked like a cross between a bird and dragon. Its beak was white and its body and wings were like fluffy white clouds. She opened her mouth and let out a beautiful tone that made everyone smile.

From Ash's ball came a large purple cobra that hissed menacingly at his opponent.

"_**And here is a prime example of the use of egg class, ladies and gentlemen. While Ketchum has selected Dragon type pokemon as his battling choice, Arbok is listed under the egg class of dragon as are numerous other pokemon. So in the eyes of the Pokemon League, this is a legal pokemon."**_

Altaria flinched and gulped at the creature before her.

Lance smiled, "Intimidation, excellent ability…but that won't help you. Altaria attack Arbok with ice beam!" The dragon type opened her beak and fired a light blue beam with frost coming from the sides.

"Arbok use dig to escape and use stockpile." The large snake hissed and slammed into the ground before gathering energy around him.

Lance smiled, "Don't think that will work Ash, Altaria, be a dear and use dragon breath down the hole." A stream of green fire shot down and Ash flinched as the outsides of the hole became burned.

Seconds later, Arbok called out in pain as he was hit from the attack, "Arbok use another stockpile!" His pokemon heeded his master's call and increased his defense yet again.

Lance snapped his fingers, "Flamethrower!" Yet again, another attack flew down into the hole and Arbok called out in pain. "One more time Arbok!"

*PTCW*

Dawn was gripping the edge of the nearest thing she could grab…which happened to be May's arm, "Dawn you are hurting me!"

The bluenette let go and chuckled, "Sorry May…but I was just so amazed at the battle. Can someone please explain why Ash isn't having Arbok attack?"

Bruno, who was standing against the wall smirked, "Oh he is my dear. Stockpile is a move that increases the user's defense but with the right combination of moves it becomes even more deadly than Hyper Beam."

Dawn's eyes widened, "How is that possible?"

Samuel smirked, "Just watch."

*PTCW*

Ash cringed as Altaria fired another flamethrower down the hole. He knew Arbok could take the damage but forcing his pokemon to hurt like this still made him feel bad.

When the attack subsided Ash took his chance, "Arbok, use coil to spring yourself into the air and attack with poison tail!" His poison type hissed out and used his muscles to coil himself into a spring like shape. Using the added power from the move, he launched himself into the air and crashed out of the hole he had dug. Seconds later he focused the energy into his tail and slammed the glowing body part into his opponent.

Altaria screeched in pain and slammed into the ground. Lance felt his jaw drop as he witnessed the display of body power from a pokemon that is usually not used in major competitions. His jaw tightened when he heard the next order, "SPIT UP!"

Lance's eyes widened as Arbok opened his jaws and fired a massive white beam of energy.

"Altaria use protect!" The small dragon type formed a shield around her just in time but the force of the attack pushed her into the ground even with the protection of the shield. A large cloud of dust rose up into the air as Arbok continued to use his attack before finally letting the energy finish. The dust quickly settled and revealed both pokemon panting hard while glaring at each other.

"_**What an amazing attack by Ash. For those of you unfamiliar with Spit Up, it works in unison with stockpile. Each round of stockpile is the equivalent to one hundred attack power in terms of attacks, so Ash's Arbok just attack with a brutal strength of three hundred!"**_

Lance looked at his pokemon, "Altaria use roost and then attack him with dragon rush!" Altaria flashed white before charging forward with blue flames around her.

"Arbok counter with gunk shot!" Arbok roared out as a massive purple orb took form in front of him.

Lance quickly changed his attack, "Hyper beam!" Altaria fired her attack using the siphoned energy from dragon rush.

"Fire the gunk shot!" Arbok launched his beam and the two attacks met in the middle. They grew bigger before exploding and sending a wave of energy over the field.

Ash braced himself and quickly looked at the field to see that both pokemon were unconscious.

"Altaria and Arbok are unable to battle, this round is a draw!"

"_**ASTOUNDING! The power of these two trainers is surly being shown here today ladies and gentlemen. Just like that Lance is down two of his pokemon and Ash one. I say with certainty that this battle is just beginning.**_

*PTCW*

Leaf found her head gently nodding in agreement with the announcer. The power behind Arbok's attack was astounding and this was only after two years of training. The brunette shivered slightly which did not go unnoticed by Delia or her parents, "Leaf dear is something wrong?"

The girl swallowed and licked her lips, "I just thought of something, if this is how strong a simple Arbok is after training constantly for two years…what about Charizard, Dragonair, and…Ash's starter?"

The people in the room focused on the young woman, "My dear are you saying that the shiny Charizard in Ash's possession is not his starter?"

Leaf nodded slowly in response to Mr. Goodshow's question, "He is Ash's closest guarded secret. Knowing Ash and how important this battle is we will be seeing him soon enough." The group turned back to the match to see Ash sending out his Haxorus again.

Delia put a hand on Leaf's shoulder, "Don't worry sweetheart, Ash is Ash after all."

Leaf smiled weakly but on the inside she had one thought, '_That's what worries me.'_

*PTCW*

Lance smiled at the sight of the rare Unova pokemon before pulling another ball from his belt, "Dragonair I need your assistance!"

Ash smiled at the sight of the beautiful creature, "I was wondering when one of the Dratini family would show up, you are famous for them after all."

Lance nodded, "I can't disappoint the public now can I?"

Ash smirked again, "Haxorus dragon pulse!" His pokemon roared and quickly fired off an orb of green and blue that rushed towards Lance's pokemon.

"Dragonair trap it with twister and then send it back with hyper beam!" A massive tornado cracking with lightning shot from Dragonair's tail and the wind caught the attack and forced it to a grinding halt. Seconds later she fired a powerful beam that absorbed the attack and sent both at Ash's pokemon. The amplified beam slammed into Haxorus and sent him flying.

"Haxorus brace yourself and use the momentum into a dragon rush." The dragon type tensed his body and hit the wall and uses all four limbs to propel himself forward and crash into Dragonair.

"Dragon claw!" While his opponent was down, Haxorus brought his right arm with glowing claws right down onto Dragonair's back. She squealed out in pain and crumpled to the ground.

Lance's eyes widened, "Dragonair I know you can do this!" His pokemon weakly raised her head and glared at the dragon before her. Haxorus smirked with a predatory smile and licked his jaws. Dragonair felt power deep within her surge forth and she quickly jumped up into the air and cried out in an eerie echoing tone.

The crowd shielded their eyes as the pokemon was engulfed in a blinding white light and began to change shape.

Ash silently cursed and looked at his pokemon, "Be ready Haxorus!" His pokemon grunting in acknowledgment and started growling as the light faded to reveal a fully formed Dragonite. Lance smiled widely, "Great job Dragonite now let's finish this one off, dragon rush!"

With no surprise, Dragonite surged forward with amazing speed and hit Haxorus with little effort,

"Counter with dragon claw!" Bringing his left arm up, Haxorus slashed his claws up Dragonite's stomach. The pokemon growled in anger and pain and called out as her body flashed orange. Ash eyes widened as she shot a massive orange orb into the air and it exploded into hundreds of little meteors. Before he could counter the attack crashed into his pokemon and quickly ended his battle.

"Haxorus is unable to battle, this round goes to Lance." Returning his pokemon, Ash growled lightly at his error. He was facing a champion level trainer and the momentary lead had gone to his head.

He hissed as Lance smiled and left his new Dragonite out, "Charizard end this!" The ball exploded and a massive wave of heat filled the arena as Ash's shiny Kanto starter flew into air and launched a powerful stream of flames.

*PTCW*

From the VIP room, Leaf and the others felt their jaws drop in shock. "That's Charizard? He is massive!"

Professor Oak gulped, "I expected Ash to have his pokemon become stronger but Charizard is at least three feet taller than the last time we saw him."

He took a shuttered breath, "If Ash is sending him out this early….who did he get to replace him as one of his lead pokemon?"

Leaf gulped down as she looked at Ash's expression and saw the familiar cold hatred that often filled his eyes during a battle.

*PTCW*

"Dragonite use dragon pulse." The newly evolved pokemon opened her jaws and fired off the dragon type orb.

"Get rid of it." Charizard grunted in acknowledgement and simply slashed his claws and caused the orb to explode.

"Flamethrower!" The pupil's in Charizard's eyes flashed white as he opened his mouth and launched a powerful stream of white flames that roared towards Dragonite. The pseudo-legendary didn't need to be told and quickly moved out of the way but watched as the flames slammed into the stadium wall and proceeded to melt the concrete without any issue.

Lance gaped at the power of the fire attack before shaking his head, "Thunderbolt!" Two powerful bolts of electricity launched from Dragonite's antenna and struck Charizard.

Ash smirked, "Get in close." Charizard flapped his wings with little effort and flew straight at his opponent, "Flare Blitz!" The Kanto starter roared and engulfed his body in flames and crashed into Dragonite. The combination of the electricity that was still being launched and the flames from the new attack caused yet another explosion.

"Dragonite use waterfall!" Getting to her feet, the dragon type became wrapped in a blue aura before she was suddenly propelled into the air with a massive wall of water under her. They slammed into Charizard and forced him back, "Charizard use dragon dance and then claw!"

Just as quickly as he fell, Charizard powered up and then did a perfect u-turn and slammed into Lance's pokemon with glowing claws.

Dragonite hit the ground and rose up. "Dragonite we have to win this round, use one more Draco Meteor!"

Ash growled out, "Charizard don't let them get a chance, Blast Burn, full power!" Charizard's tail erupted into flames and a huge amount of energy surged into his maw. The two pokemon charged their attacks before Charizard's eyes flared with power and launched the attack.

A massive orb of flames were propelled forward and just as Dragonite fired her meteor, they connected sending a mushroom cloud of energy, fire, and smoke into the air…concealing the battle from everyone.

**And cut…here is chapter 8 ladies and gents. I was surprised how long this battle played out but fear not…we still have the second half to go.**

**For those of you who are wondering about Suicune…read on. Lol **

**As for Ash's possible Elite Four members, so far I have decided on Paul as the fourth member. Send in your ideas and reasoning behind anyone you think would be a good choice.**

**Send in ideas and reviews**

**KingFatMan25**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The crowd held their breath as the cloud slowly moved around the field like a massive wave of toxic gas. Ash used his psychic powers to form a barrier around himself but even this proved difficult when compared to the power of both his and Lance's pokemon. The crowd's whispers began to fill the stadium again as the smoke cleared and revealed the results of the battle, "Dragonite is unable to battle, Ash and his Charizard win the round."

"_**And there you have it folks, Ash's Charizard proved too much for Lance and his new Dragonite. With this battle out of the way we will take a five minute break to let the trainers collect themselves for the final half. Lance has only three pokemon left while the challenger Ash Ketchum has four. Make that bathroom break quick ladies and gentlemen because this battle has just started."**_

Ash returned Charizard who had been panting from his battle and turned back to the locker room. He sat down on a bench and thought about the final three pokemon, "_I have a slight lead but that battle took a lot out of Charizard. I still have three more pokemon after him but Lance's final three will be in a league of their own. So far he has used Gyarados, Altaria, and Dragonite. Given his track record he has his first Dragonite for sure but the other two could be anything. His main battle team also consists of an Aerodactyl and Charizard but he has been known to switch out with his Flygon, Kingdra, another Dragonair, and a Garchomp."_

Ash moved his gaze to his starter's pokeball, "I don't plan on using you until I have to buddy." Ash's thoughts were broken when the light above the door blinked. Ash rose and turned to walk out of the room.

*PTCW*

Ash took his position on the field and held his hand over his belt. Lance nodded towards Ash and looked at the referee. The man pushed a button and the wheel started spinning before it stopped, "It has been decided that Ash will start the second half."

The dark trainer gritted his teeth together, "So much for that, Charizard end this!" His shiny Kanto pokemon burst forth and launched a flamethrower into the air before he took a deep breath to try and regain some strength.

"_**And Ash has decided to stay with his Charizard. As we clearly saw in the first half this fire type isn't a pushover…how will Lance counter this beast?"**_

The dragon trainer smiled and tossed a ball, "Aerodactyl I need your assistance!" The crowd erupted into cheers at the sight of the ancient pokemon. Even Ash, who had Kabutops and Anorith, couldn't help but feel in awe at the creature.

"Charizard vs. Aerodactyl…begin!"

Lance moved first, "DragonBreath!" The rock and flying type opened his jaws and fired a stream of green flames.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Charizard copied his opponent except his stream was larger and more intense. The two met in the middle and exploded from the amount of energy. Before Ash could say another command, Aerodactyl was on Charizard with glowing wings associated with a wing attack. Lance's pokemon brought his right wing down and slashed Charizard across the chest.

"Charizard use ThunderPunch! Lightning crackled along his three clawed fingers as he slammed his fist into his opponent, "Iron Tail!" Using the momentum, Charizard swung around and brought his glowing tail towards Lance's pokemon.

"Crunch!" Aerodactyl opened his jaws and latched down on the tail that was presented to him.

Charizard called out in pain as the serrated teeth cut into his tail.

"Aerodactyl use skydrop!" Lance watched as his pokemon took off in the air with Charizard in his mouth. The fire type tried to maneuver out but the teeth were firmly in his tail. Aerodactyl spun in the air and then charged at the ground.

Ash called out, "Charizard grab him!" Temporarily ignoring the pain, Charizard twisted around and wrapped his claws around Aerodactyl's feet. Just as the rock type released him, Charizard pulled him down and used the momentum of his fall to swing him into the ground before crashing just as, if not harder.

Ash let a small amount of emotion go as one of his oldest pokemon slowly rose from the ground. "Charizard use flamethrower!" He opened his mouth and fired another stream of flames at the downed flying type but a shield appeared around him.

Aerodactyl shot up into the air with the protect shielding him before he quickly descended towards Charizard. As he did, rings of white energy formed around him and took the shape of pointed stones. The stone edge launched and crashed into Charizard sending him into the ground. "Finish it off with hyper beam!" With mercy devoid from his heart, Aerodactyl fired the powerful attack and watched with satisfaction as it engulfed Charizard before exploding.

*PTCW*

"Charizard is unable to battle; Lance and his Aerodactyl are the victors."

Ash returned his pokemon and whispered his thanks before pulling out another ball, "Milotic end this!" A beautiful melody filled the arena as a serpentine like body took form on the field. The main portion of the body was a cream color while its tail, ear like fins, and antenna were a combination of blue, pink, and purple. The women in the audience squealed at the beauty of the pokemon.

"Aerodactyl use ThunderFang!"

Ash's lips tilted slightly into a smile, "Protect yourself with aqua ring!" Milotic cooed and rings of glowing water wrapped around her in a protective cocoon. Aerodactyl kept going and tried to sink his fangs into his opponent but to no avail.

"Aqua tail!" Milotic's mermaid like tail quickly took the water from the aqua ring and slammed into the duel type pokemon.

"Ice beam!" Opening her mouth she launched the powerful ice move.

"Counter with flamethrower!" A stream of flames crashed into the ice attack and causes steam to hiss from the combination.

"Milotic switch into hydro pump." Opening her mouth wider, the water type fired off a super pressurized stream of water that engulfed the flamethrower and flooded over Aerodactyl.

"Quick while he is down use blizzard!" Milotic flashed icy blue before a powerful wind kicked up and a powerful snow storm ripped through the arena. Lance's pokemon cried out in pain before it collapsed to the ground.

"Aerodactyl is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner." Lance returned his pokemon and pulled his second to last ball, "Garchomp I need your assistance!"

Ash mentally prepared himself for a fight as the duel type pseudo legendary appeared and roared powerfully. It then glared at Milotic and snarled with its fangs bared.

"Garchomp use Iron Head!" The dragon pokemon roared and used his powerful legs to launch himself forward and engulf himself in a silver aura.

*PTCW*

Samuel was shaking his head slightly, "I have to say this…Ash never fails to impress."

Delia snapped a picture with her camera, "He has always been able to overcome anything he sets out to do."

Charles Goodshow was sitting next to Samuel and nodded in agreement while stroking his beard, "That boy has more spirit than most. His bond with his pokemon is very encouraging."

Cynthia took a drink from the glass that was sitting next to her, "I'm actually glad he is taking on the Johto/Kanto Elite Four. I really don't want to think about what he would be like to fight. He and Lance are pretty even in strength."

Agatha smiled, "He was one of the best challenges I have ever had. That boy is a force to reckon with."

Lorelei nodded in agreement, "He is also pretty handsome…if I was younger."

Leaf had to bite her tongue from yelling at the Elite Four member but her friends May and Dawn giggled. The brunette glared at them and turned back to the field mumbling something about old hags.

*PTCW*

"Milotic use another blizzard!" A beautiful call filled the stadium as another massive storm blasted its way over the field. Garchomp grunted in pain as he put up his fins to defend, but the power behind the attack started to push him back.

"Now fire a dragon pulse!" Milotic's mouth opened and a sphere of green and blue energy fired at a fast pace.

Lance smiled, "Send it back with brick break!" Garchomp's fins flashed a powerful white light and slashed the right one at the incoming attack. It momentarily stalled before flying back into Milotic.

"Dragon Rush!" The dragon type pseudo roared and was engulfed with a powerful blue aura and rushed at the water type. Milotic braced herself for the redirected dragon pulse but was not able to withstand the power behind the Dragon Rush. Garchomp flipped backwards and landed in front of Lance and roared in victory.

"Ash's Milotic is unable to battle, Garchomp is the winner!" Ash returned his fallen pokemon and whispered his thanks. He thought about choosing Salamence but waited and selected another ball, "Dragonite, end this!"

Lance's eyes sparkled at the sight of the rare pokemon and the condition she was in. "A very impressive specimen Ash, I can tell she has been raised properly."

The dark trainer smiled, "I have had her since very early in my journey, and she is one of my most powerful pokemon."

Lance nodded, "We shall see, Garchomp, Giga Impact!" His pokemon roared and charged forward with a sphere of purple and gold energy swirling around him.

"Dragonite, take to the skies and use Dragon Dance!" Just as her opponent was on top of her, Dragonite effortlessly flew into the air and surrounded herself with powerful draconic energy that was absorbed.

"Dragon Claw!" Ash's pokemon roared and swept down with her claws glowing a light green. The attack smashed into Garchomp's back and forced him to crumple to the ground.

"Garchomp are you alright?" Lance's pokemon grunted as he got up and nodded, "Great then let's get back the momentum, use Dragon Dance and follow it up with Dragon Rush!"

Ash quickly countered, "Use another Dragon Dance and then Protect!" Both pseudo-legendaries absorbed power before performing their next move. Garchomp slammed into a green shield that had appeared around Dragonite and both of them ground their teeth together in effort against the other.

Lance growled, "Garchomp break off and use dragon rush!" His pokemon jumped back from the shield and quickly took on a blue aura and charged back.

"Dragonite use extreme speed to dodge and use ice beam!" In the blink of an eye, the final evolution of Dratini vanished and appeared behind Garchomp. Dragonite's mouth opened and fired a beam of ice cold energy that hit the dragon type in the side. Garchomp called out in pain as he was hit by an attack that did x4 the normal damage.

"Dragon tail!" Ash's pokemon roared as she swung her body around with a glowing tail.

Lance's eyes widened, "protect!" Dragonite's tail slammed into a shield and forced her back.

"Counter with dragon claw!" Garchomp roared and rushed forward and brought his claws down on his opponent, sending her into the ground.

"Dragon pulse!" A massive orb of draconic energy fired from his maw and exploded upon contact with Dragonite.

Ash gritted his teeth as Dragonite slowly got up with cuts and bruises all over her body. Granted she was a powerful pokemon but Lance wasn't an Elite Four member for nothing. During his reign as champion, he was known for his brutality and rarely ever using more than three pokemon. Ash knew that to avoid his last pokemon facing two of Lance's super powerful team members, he would have beat or tie with Garchomp.

"Dragonite get in close with thunderbolt!" His pokemon obeyed and as she flew closer, launched a powerful beam of yellow electricity.

Lance raised his eyebrow, "I'm not sure what you have planned Ash, but that was a wasted move, you should know that Garchomp is immune to electric attacks." His point was proven when Garchomp simple stood there and took the attack without much effort.

Ash smirked coldly, "I didn't forget…I was waiting for the opening, Dragonite attack him with full power dragon rush!" Lance looked on as Dragonite rushed forward with legendary speed and unleashed a massive attack that was more powerful than normal thanks to the two dragon dances from earlier. Garchomp cried out in pain but reacted on instinct thanks to his years of training. He swept his claws up and caught Dragonite with another powerful dragon claw.

Ash and Lance glared at each other before calling out, "Hyper beam!" Both pokemon jumped up and reared their heads back before firing powerful attacks at each other. The two beams met in the middle and quickly exploded. A wave of energy and smoke flew over the field and sent both dragon types back. The smoke cleared and revealed that both dragons were still standing but very exhausted, "Dragonite lets finish this, Draco Meteor!"

His pokemon flashed orange before firing a ball of power into the air. "Garchomp attack with Giga Impact!" As the meteor's exploded, Garchomp rushed forward with a sphere of gold and purple energy surrounding him. He slammed into Dragonite and sent her back just as the meteors started impacting the field. Both pokemon were struck by the attack and crumpled to the ground.

Ash's face showed emotion as he saw one of his oldest pokemon hurt, "Dragonite get up! I know you can do this!" On the opposite side of the field, Lance was calling out to his Garchomp. As their trainers' voices filled their ears, both pokemon slowly opened their eyes and got slowly to their feet. They glared at their opponent and tried to outlast the other…but eventually one of them took a struggled breath and fell over.

Ash sighed as he watched Dragonite fall to the ground before he returned her, "Thank you girl…you did a great job. Ash clipped her ball onto his belt before pulling the pokeball from his necklace. He hardened his stance and prepared to throw it but was stopped when Lance's Garchomp grunted and fell over. The referee declared the pokemon unable to battle before calling for the trainers to call out their final pokemon.

Lance smiled at Ash, "I must commend you for getting this far. It isn't something that is taken lightly. I look forward to working with you if you chose to stay on…but that is as far as you will go. You will never reach the champion."

Lance threw his ball and out came his starter and most powerful pokemon…Dragonite. Ash's eyes hardened as he felt Salamence's pokeball and heard Lance's words ringing in his ears, _'never reach the champion.'_

His mind started playing hundreds of images as he thought about his life and what had made him the trainer he was today. An image of his father flashed and Ash's psychic powers roared to their master's call. His eyes and body were enveloped in a powerful blue aura before he spoke, his voice amplified by his powers. "I have fought too hard to reach this point and let that man go unpunished. You stand in my way and now I end you. Rise my faithful starter and unleash your power for the whole world to see!"

Ash threw the ball and it opened and released the contents within. A powerful roar filled the arena as the shape of a larger than average Salamence took shape. Upon the right side of its face was a scar that ran right down the center of its eye, face, jaw, and neck. The beast let smoke and fire blow from his nostrils before he roared again. The crowds all gasped as the mysterious starter of Ash Ketchum was finally revealed to the world.

*PTCW*

Leaf let the breath that she had been holding in finally go. Her eyes watered slightly at the sight of Salamence after so much time and couldn't help but admire the beauty of the creature…no matter how deadly he was. "There he is."

May and Dawn looked at their friend, "That is the starter you always talked about?"

Leaf nodded, "This is Salamence's first official league battle."

Gary opened his mouth, "Then what is that loser doing? He has no idea what Lance will do to a pokemon that has never been in a battle before!"

Morty who had remained silent for the entire battle finally spoke up, "He can win. I have seen Salamence before and he is most likely the most powerful of its kind."

Gary rolled his eyes, "And how would you know?"

Morty smirked, "I saw Ash defeat a legendary pokemon with Salamence." The group of people in the box gaped at this before Leaf agreed, "It wasn't just any legendary either, it was a Suicune."

This caused the group to start talking about what this meant for the battle before Professor Oak finally spoke, "How about we simply watch the battle and let it be the deciding factor."

Everyone nodded in agreement while Leaf tensed up, "Come on Ashy."

*PTCW*

Lance prided himself on being a master of dragon pokemon but the beast that floated before him was something else. It reeked of power and even his Dragonite realized this. One thing that was often overlooked by trainers was how pokemon acted around each other. All pokemon followed the simple code of Alphas and this was simply put, that the most powerful pokemon was the Alpha and was nature's choice to be the leader until another more powerful came along. Even in battle, pokemon will size each other up to determine who is the Alpha of the two and in this situation…this Salamence was. Dragonite looked back at Lance and saw the same look in his trainer's eyes…fear. This beast wasn't going to go down easy if at all. Lance took a breath and order his attack, "Dragon pulse!"

Dragonite fired his attack and watched as it sailed at Salamence, "Hyper beam." The order was given calmly and coldly by Ash. His Pokémon's pupils flared as a powerful beam launched out of his mouth. It easily engulfed the dragon pulse and roared over the field, quickly closing the distance.

"Dragonite move!" His pokemon quickly moved out of the way but the beam skimmed his right leg, causing a severe burn. The attack slammed into the wall and ripped a massive gap in it before the entrance collapsed upon itself. Lance's eyes were wide at the power from the attack and knew this was going to be the hardest battle he had ever fought.

"Dragonite while he is recovering use dragon claw!" Dragonite flapped his wings and rushed at his target and prepared to bring his claws down.

"Defend." Salamence's wings flashed a dark silver like color before being wrapped around his head. The steel wing made a clang sound as Dragonite's claws hit the wings but no damage was done.

"Flamethrower!" Salamence's wings quickly separated and fired a powerful flame into his opponent who was pushed back while calling in pain. "Follow it up with dragon pulse!" A larger orb fired from Salamence's mouth and slammed into Dragonite, causing a minor explosion.

Lance watched on in distress before coming up with a plan. "Dragonite fly straight up and then turn and head to the ground!"

Most pokemon would question their trainer's command…especially if it was a crazy one like this. But Dragonite was Lance's first and most loyal pokemon…so following his master's orders, the pseudo dragon launched into the air and then did a quick u-turn and flew at the ground.

Ash raised his eyebrow at this but decided to make the next move, "Salamence use dragonbreath! The mighty beast opened his mouth and fired a powerful green stream of flames that would clearly hit Dragonite.

Lance smirked, "Spinning ice beam!" His pokemon opened his mouth and fired a blue beam that split off into three arcs. Using his wings, Dragonite forced himself to spin at a rapid pace that sent the ice attack in all directions of the stadium. The dragonbreath was slowly beaten back before another wave of ice hit Salamence. The dragon type roared in pain before falling to the ground with a large chunk of ice on his left wing.

Ash gritted his teeth together, "break out with steel wing and then use dragon rush!" Lance quickly countered, "You use dragon rush as well!"

An explosion of sound and energy filled the stadium as the two legendary level pokemon crashed into each other in a brilliant display of power and determination. Both creatures roared savagely at the other before finally relenting and backing off. "Flamethrower!" Both dragon type launched attacks again and met in the middle. The streams of fire held off against the other but sent large waves of fire against the stadium walls.

"Dragonite break off and use Fire Blast!" Quickly diverting the energy, Dragonite launched one of the most powerful fire attacks in the world and started to push back Salamence's attack.

Ash's eyes flared, "Two can play at that game. Salamence use hydro pump!" Cutting off the flames, the dragon quickly took a breath and fired a massive torrent of water that cut through the fire and hit Dragonite.

Lance smirked, "A rare move for Salamence and a great way to surprise your opponent. Dragonite use extreme speed into dragon claw!"

In a flash of white, the cream colored dragon disappeared and then reappeared behind Salamence before slashing his glowing green claws against his opponent's back. Salamence roared in anger and swung his body around, bringing his powerful tail down on Dragonite burned leg.

"Stone edge!" Rings of white energy formed around Salamence and shot razor sharp stones at his opponent. They rushed and exploded upon impacting Dragonite's sky.

"Dragonite use hurricane!" Lance's Pokémon's body flashed a powerful white aura before flying into the air. With his powerful wings, the dragon type unleashed a vortex of powerful winds swirling with energy that crackled and sparked. Salamence was quickly swallowed up and thrown around as damage started to accumulate.

Lance decided to capitalize, "Dragonite, add blizzard!" Another powerful wind swarmed in the arena and combined a blast of icy strength to the wind. Salamence cried out in pain as he was viciously struck time and time again.

Ash thought a moment before coming up with a counter, "Salamence I know you are in pain but listen to me. Spin with the cyclone to gain momentum and break out!" His starter gritted his teeth together and forced his wings and tail to steer him into the main wind path of the cyclone. Within seconds, his body started spinning with the attack and quickly rose to the top.

Ash saw his chance, "Use steel wing to break out and attack with a full power dragon rush!" The deafening roar from Salamence alerted the crowd that his trainer's orders had been heard. A powerful flash filled the cyclone and Salamence burst forth with glowing wings before he was engulfed with the power of dragon rush. Lance could only watch as the furious beast slammed into his pokemon and sent him crashing into the ground.

"Finish him with hyper beam!" Salamence roared again before firing the powerful attack and engulfed his opponent before a massive explosion filled the field.

The crowd was silent as they waited for a sign and many were shocked to see Dragonite slowly getting up. His body was covered in burns, bruises, cuts, and his breathing was shallow. He glared at Salamence whom had landed on the field and was growling deep within his throat.

Dragonite glanced at his trainer and saw nothing but respect and love from him before he took a deep breath and embraced the void of sleep.

*PTCW*

A cricket could have been heard with how quiet the stadium was. The referee was pale and slowly raised his flags, "Dragonite is unable to battle…Ash and his Salamence are the winners!"

With that simple declaration, the crowd exploded into a frenzy of cheers and cries as they applauded both trainers from their valiant battle.

"**Unbelievable ladies and gentlemen, Ash Ketchum has done it! He has defeated The Dragon Master Lance and has secured his right to take on the champion!"**

Ash was silent for a moment before he rushed over to Salamence and embraced the beast around the neck. The powerful dragon rumbled deep in his chest as he put his head down on Ash's shoulder in a gentle hug. "Thank you my friend."

His pokemon rumbled again before gently licking his master. Ash turned to see the press beginning their move towards him and he growled, "Let's move buddy." Ash jumped onto Salamence's back and they took off into the skies towards the pokemon center.

*PTCW*

High atop Mount Silver a single figure sat on a ledge overlooking the valley leading up to the mountain. Beside him was a Pikachu that seemed to be deep in thought. The man's hand reached out and gently rubbed his partner's head and earned a gentle squeal of content.

Red Ketchum smiled at his starter and put him on his shoulder, "Another day as the best right Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded and his ears twitched as he heard the distinct sound of a vibration coming from his trainer's coat pocket.

Red pulled out his cell phone and held it up to his ear. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end was in the form of his long time friend Lance, "_Red I lost."_

Red's eyes widened, "You lost? As in a pokemon battle?"

Lance's voice was a shallow chuckle, "_Not just a pokemon battle…but to your son."_ Red almost dropped the phone, "Ash?"

Lance spoke grimly, "_Yes it was Ash…and I should warn you that he isn't one to be trifled with."_ There was a pause, "_He is out for blood."_

Red's eyes widened as his mind flashed to the notice of divorce he had sent home all those years ago. "Keep me posted." Before Lance could respond the line went dead.

Red looked at Pikachu who was now looking at him with a sad expression, "Ash won against Lance buddy, he is going to challenge us next."

Pikachu's cheeks sparked, "He is out for us…" Red looked out over the valley, "He is out for revenge."

**There you go my friends, another chapter has ended.**

**Ash has secured his victory and will now finally reunite with his friends and family.**

**Next chapter we will also see his new team. **

**On a side note, I would like to announce that I am the beta for the very talented author Dragonheart1234 and the story Burnt to Ashes. Go check it out and give your support to another author. **

**As always send in your ideas and reviews.**

**KingFatMan25**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Ash landed in front of the pokemon center and returned Salamence with a silent thanks. He walked in and stopped in front of Nurse Joy. She looked at his and smiled, "Congratulations on your victory Ash. It was my favorite battle of the four."

Ash nodded as he handed over his pokeballs, "Thanks Joy." She took the balls and turned to walk to the treatment room, "I have a meal for you sitting in your room. I figured you would be hungry. Chansey will bring your pokemon to you when they are healed."

Ash nodded in thanks before he turned and went to his room. While he was taking the challenge, Nurse Joy had become his closest confident and was very kind towards him. Over the past two months she had gone out of her way to ensure that the media and fans would not bother the rising star. This had led to her threatening several reporters when they tried to climb in through a window.

Ash arrived in his room and quickly went to take a shower to free himself from the stress of battle. As the water washed over him, he thought about the inevitable reunion with his family and friends. No doubt his mother would be hysterical and he was sure that his cheek would get a slap from Leaf. He chuckled at the thought but figured it was unavoidable. Once he was clean, Ash grabbed his tray of food and started eating only to stop when Chansey walked in with his pokemon. He thanked the normal type before he continued on with his meal. Once that was done he slipped into his bed and closed his eyes for a nap.

*PTCW*

Two hours later, Ash woke up to the sound of his room's phone ringing. He groaned and rubbed his eyes before getting dressed and putting his pokeballs back onto his belt he walked down the hall to the main entrance of the center. Upon arriving he found a medium sized crowd of people standing rigid as Nurse Joy gave them a stern talking to. "I don't care who you are…I will not break my promise to Ash and wake him up. He is very tired and should have the luxury of sleep."

Ash rolled his eyes as a arrogant voice spoke up, "Listen lady Ashy-boy has been gone for two years the least you can do is let us see him." With the confirmation that Gary was in the group and that this was going to carry on without Ash ending it, he cleared his throat which caused the group to turn. "Thanks Joy but I have it from here."

*PTCW*

The first thing that happened was silence but this was short lived as a brunette bullet slammed into him and pushed him off his feet. Before he could respond, a pair of moist and soft lips found his and his eyes rolled into his head from the passion and strength of the kiss. Hand started to roam his body and when he felt them start to slide under his shirt he forced himself to pull away and looked at the figure above him. Beautiful blue eyes twinkled with love, happiness, and a hint of lust as Ash and Leaf looked at each other for the first time in years.

Ash pulled them up and wrapped his arms around her and inhaled her scent, "I missed you so much."

Leaf giggled into his shoulder and tried to pull him even closer. His strong arms held her tightly as if she was going to disappear into thin air and she loved it. It let her know that she still meant the world to him even after all this time. What made this even better was when she heard three whispered words from him, "I love you."

Leaf had to fight back tears but one slipped down and she smiled, "I love you so much Ash. Please don't ever go away again."

Her best friend hugged her tighter and shook his head in her hair, "Never again."

A throat being cleared caused the newly reunited couple to split apart and look at the group of people standing before them. The one that Ash first saw was the one person he longed to see just as much as Leaf, his mother.

Delia ran forth from the group and hugged her son for dear life, "My little boy is back."

Ash wrapped his mother in a hug and kissed the top of her head, "I missed you too mom."

Delia refused to let go of Ash so he simply looked over her head to the others.

Professor Oak nodded to Ash, "I'd offer my hand Ash but it seems you have your hands full right now."

Ash chuckled lightly, "It's good to be back, but I still have one final task to attend to."

Gary pushed his way forward, "That's right, you and me having a battle to finally show these people what a loser you are!"

Ash sneered, "I see you still have the I.Q. of a rock. From what I recall in the Silver Conference, Leaf defeated you in a fair match…I'm stronger than Leaf, what hopes do you have to win against me?"

Gary chuckled, "Please, like I told your little girlfriend earlier, I let her win so she would feel better. She was moping around so much because you were gone that she wasn't even fun anymore."

Ash used his psychic powers to keep his emotions in check but Leaf caught the shift in the air around him. "I just defeated Lance in a battle, how would your precious team last against the pokemon that defeated him?"

Gary seemed to think for a moment before chuckling, "Easy, they are ten times better than your team of dragons and will trump you in no time flat."

Ash cracked his neck and glared at Gary, "You know what…fine. I'm sick and tired of your little attitude so I might as well take it down a few notches."

Gary smiled widely, "About time." Ash looked to Joy as Gary ran off with his Grandpa to get ready, "Can we use the practice field out back?" When the nurse nodded, Ash turned and started walking out back with Leaf's hand firmly in his.

*PTCW*

The brunette teen looked at her man and smiled lightly, "A little on edge dear?"

Ash smiled faintly at the pet name, "Just a little. I had some plans that involved you and me in a dark secluded room with a do not disturb sign on it."

Leaf blushed lightly but gave a very seductive smile, "Why Mr. Ketchum are you planning to take advantage of me?"

Ash growled deep in his throat and put his face in the crook of her neck before he gently nipped at the pulse point. Leaf's breathing hitched and her legs went weak, "You better believe it."

He kissed her and started to walk towards the field. Leaf was stationary until Dawn and May caught up with wide eyes. "Leaf?"

Their friend had a glazed look on her face and quickly shook her head when Dawn pinched her, "Ouch, what was that for Dawn?"

May giggled, "You were lost in the land of Ash Ketchum from the looks of it. What did he do to you?"

Leaf groaned, "Nothing yet." She squeaked and blushed a deep shade of red to which Dawn and May started laughing. The three girls ran to the field to find Ash standing in front of the field as he began to release his team.

Haxorus, Arbok, Charizard, Milotic, Dragonite, and Salamence all appeared on the field around their master. Ash then pulled out several more balls and chose them. From the first was a large green lizard like pokemon with a pine tree shaped tail and blades coming from its arms. The pokemon pulled a twig from seemingly nowhere and put it in its mouth.

The next pokemon appeared next to Sceptile and was massive compared to him. It had dark green armor with a patch of dark purple on its stomach. Powerful limbs held the body up high and it had spikes running down its back and tail. The pokemon roared and shook the field. This pokemon was a Tyranitar and she was different because not only was her armor darker than normal but she had a large diagonal scar running along her stomach and chest.

Next to her came a smaller pokemon with green skin. It had a single horn upon its head and little stubby legs and arms. The pokemon yawned with a squeak and jumped into the Tyranitar's arms. This was Ash's Larvitar and the child of Tyranitar.

The next pokemon was Ash's Flygon who called out and flew around the field once before landing next to the group.

The next pokemon was a serpent with dark coloring and two prominent fangs. May recognized the pokemon as a Seviper from her home region of Sinnoh.

The final ball to open was a medium sized pokemon with bluish skin. It had the striking resemblance to a shark and had a bulkier form. Dawn smiled at the sight of the Gabite and giggled as it bit Ash on the head before joining the team.

Leaf noticed that Ash had more pokeballs in his bag but left them in it. Looking at the team of dragons before them, the girls couldn't help but be in awe over the power they presented.

Leaf smiled, "Ash they all look so powerful. I can't believe you have this many rare pokemon!"

Her boyfriend chuckled, "I don't see them as rare…I see them as teammates that will help us rise to the top of the mountain. His dragon team roared their agreement which caused the four humans to smile.

Ash turned to see Gary and the rest of the people walking over and they all stopped upon seeing Ash's dragons. Professor Oak had to stop himself from running up and begin to take notes while Gary was trying to find some flaw in their overall look. The Elite Four members and Charles Goodshow looked at the team with respect and knew that this was a good man to take on Red Ketchum.

Gary shook his head, "Let's get this over with Ashy Boy, I have plans later."

Ash was about to select his first pokemon but Gary spoke up, "Hold on Ash, seeing as I challenged you I am making one stipulation, you have to use you pokemon that you had before your dragon team." The girls started to protest but Ash held up his hand, "Are you that scared?"

When Gary didn't answer Ash looked at Leaf, "You have them with you?"

His girlfriend nodded and put her bag down and pulled out nine pokeballs. Ash retrieved one of the pokeballs from his bag for a grand total of ten pokemon. "Three on three Ash and you can have the first move."

Ash nodded and selected a ball, "Electabuzz end this!" From the ball appeared a much larger version of his electric type. Instead of one tail he now had two and his body was much more muscular.

Ash smiled at the sight of his new Electivire and looked at Leaf who was blushing, "I kept training them while you were gone and they wanted to surprise you."

Electivire looked at Leaf and gave her a thumbs up in thanks before grinning like a mad man at Ash, "It's great to see you too buddy now let's win this." His pokemon roared as sparks of electricity coursed over his body.

Gary shrugged, "So your pokemon evolved, my pokemon will make short work of it…Nidoking let's go!" A massive purple dinosaur like pokemon appeared with a powerful thud on the ground. Nidoking opened his eyes and flexed his arms before roaring with a display of power.

"Nidoking let's end this battle with earthquake!"

Ash shook his head, "To predictable…protect." Electivire crossed his arms in front of him and a massive green shield appeared around him as the ground started to shake from Nidoking's attack.

"Counter with fire and ice punch!" The electric type dispersed the shield before rushing forwards with both fists charging energy.

Gary moved, "Dodge the attack and use horn attack!" The poison type moved but when he went to stab at Electivire he found that his opponent wasn't where he was a second before. His position was shown when two fists slammed into the side of Gary's pokemon and sent him flying.

"Nidoking get up and use hyper beam!" His pokemon pushed himself up and roared as a massive beam of energy fired and slammed into Electivire.

Ash looked on in concern but was relieved when his pokemon got up. "I'm glad to see your stamina is better let's see about overall strength. Electivire my friend show him a real earthquake!" The electric type smiled coldly and slammed his legs into the ground, causing a massive shockwave to rush around the field. Nidoking cried out in pain from the super effective attack and went flying back.

"Finish him with Giga Impact!" Electivire rushed forwards, wrapping himself in a sphere of purple and gold energy. The energy swirled around him and exploded upon impact with Gary's pokemon. Ash's electric type jumped back and landed in front of his trainer leaving an unconscious Nidoking on the ground.

Gary growled and returned his pokemon before quickly throwing another ball, "Nidoqueen go!" The female version of the Nidoran family appeared with a massive thud.

Ash smiled and whistled to Electivire and the pokemon walked to the sidelines. Calling upon his psychic powers, Ash sensed for a certain ball and threw it, "Alakazam end this!" His psychic pokemon appeared with an explosion of psychic energy and smiled at being reunited with his master. Their minds quickly connected again and both greeted each other.

Gary sneered, "Not man enough to fight without the advantage are you? Nidoqueen use ice beam!"

Ash spoke to his pokemon, "_Stop it."_ Alakazam's eyes flared blue and sent out powerful energy to the incoming ice beam. The attack stopped in the air and hung there for a split second before bending and flying back into Gary's Nidoqueen.

Gary growled in his throat, "Get up and use earthquake!" His pokemon pushed herself off the ground and stomped her feet on the ground.

"_Levitate above the ground just long enough for the attack to subside."_ Alakazam nodded and let his mental powers release upon himself and floated a few inches above the ground. The ground type attack ripped apart the field but left the floating pokemon harmless.

"_Psybeam!"_ Putting his silver spoons together, Alakazam shot a powerful beam into his opponent.

"_Finish him with psychic."_

Before Gary could respond, his pokemon was engulfed in a blue aura and slammed onto the ground several times before going on conscious. Ash looked at the fainted pokemon and shook his head, "Great job my friend. Go by Electivire."

Gary returned his fainted pokemon and glared at Ash, "I will not lose to a second rate loser like yourself. I am the grandson of Professor Oak…I can't lose….BLASTOISE GO!" Gary's starter landed with a powerful thud and roared out his name.

Ash thought for a moment before selecting the ball he had picked up from his bag, "I have prepared this pokemon for the last year and depending on how she does today will help determine if she is ready for full time use….Suicune end this!" The moment the words left his mouth the crowd watching went silent with shock and awe. From the ball appeared the legendary Aurora Pokemon. She dipped her head and then threw it back in a long echoing howl that filled everyone present with peace, fear, and awe.

Gary's eyes widened in fear, "How…how did you get that?"

Ash's smile turned feral and his eyes flashed blue with his psychic powers, "By being the better trainer…Suicune use calm mind and then scald."

The legendary pokemon called out and flashed a light purple and pink energy before opening her mouth and firing a stream boiling hot water. Blastoise roared in pain before aiming his cannons at the legend.

"Blastoise use hydro pump!" Two torrents of high pressurized water fired from each cannon and raced towards the legend.

"Protect." The ultimate defensive move snapped into place and easily withstood the attack, "Show him a real Hydro Pump." Suicune roared and launched a much larger attack that slammed into Blastoise and caused him to grunt in pain.

Gary's continue to growl, "Blastoise us rapid spin to get in close and then use skull bash!" The giant water type withdrew into his shell and charged forward in a rapid spinning motion. Just as he was about to hit, the Kanto water starter revealed his head and rocketed at Suicune.

Ash smirked, "Stop him."

Suicune's eyes flashed blue and a similar aura appeared around Gary's Blastoise.

Gary gaped at this, "What is going on Ketchum? Suicune isn't a psychic type!"

Ash nodded slowly, "This is true, but it can learn a powerful psychic move. Ever heard of extrasensory? If not then let me fill you in. The simplest way to put it is that the move is a weaker version of psychic and with enough practice can hold off the most savage of opponents. Suicune finish this with a hyper beam."

Ash's legendary pokemon filtered the energy from the psychic attack into her jaws before firing a condensed and powerful beam that was white in color. Blastoise braced for impact but knew it wouldn't be getting up in this battle. As soon as the explosion happened, Gary fell to his knees in shock at the power behind the attack, "How?"

The smoke for the explosion quickly disappeared to reveal Ash slowly walking towards Gary with his psychic power in full effect. The aura around him licked the air like flames and his eyes were bright blue in color.

"How did I beat you? You are really going to ask that after seeing the differences between us?"

Ash shook his head, "Gary…you spent so much time gloating and picking on anyone who was weaker than you that you didn't spend time training. I spend time training at month long intervals before even attempting to go forward. I plan ahead, I fight for what I want, and I don't expect the world to bend over for me." The last part Ash said caused his aura to flare even more. His pokemon wore expressions similar to their trainer's tone, disgust. The older members like Salamence, Charizard, and Dragonite had been around long enough to know about Gary's treatment of Ash and others around Pallet. The newer ones like Haxorus, Flygon, and even little Larvitar knew that this human was one that, in their world, would be cast from the pack.

Ash turned and observed the group that was watching before looking at Leaf. She was smiling at him with tears in her eyes but the sparkle that was present made any worries of her being sad fade away.

Taking a deep breath, Ash canceled his psychic powers and walked over to her as his pokemon followed. Wrapping her in his arms, Ash pulled her tightly to his chest and simply held her for all she was worth. Her body perfectly formed to his and her scent filled his nose. His chest was tight and his heart was beating faster than it had in years.

He finally looked down at her and found that Leaf was smiling up at him, "Hey you."

Leaf giggled at the way he use to greet her, "Hey you."

She simply moaned in happiness and buried her face in his chest again. They remained like that for several more minutes before someone cleared their throat. The young couple turned to see Ash's mom, Leaf's parents, and Leaf's friends standing there with smiles on.

John smiled and walked over, "It's great to have you home Ash." The two men clasped hands and gave a very manly hug though if one would look they would see that John Green was holding back a couple of tears. Violet was next and engulfed Ash in her signature hug much to his embarrassment, although this time she spared him the misfortune of suffocating in her ample bosom.

Leaf giggled at this and waited as Ash again hugged his mother before turning to Leaf's two friends. "Forgive me for not remembering your names but I haven't had a ton of contact with Leaf in the past two years."

May and Dawn both blushed a deep shade of red and babbled several phrases that didn't make sense…although May's sounded like yummy.

Leaf shook her head, "Ash, these are May and Dawn and my closest friends during my travels. Both of them are trying to become Pokemon Coordinators."

May playfully glared at her friend, "What do you mean trying to? I happen to be referred to as the Hoenn Princess."

Dawn puffed out her cheeks, "And I happen to be the Sinnoh Queen."

Ash thought for a moment, "I thought that was Cynthia."

Dawn fell over anime style while May simple giggled. Professor Oak smiled widely and walked over, "Ash my boy it is great to see you again and I'm glad that you and Leaf are…ahem…together again."

The teen couple blushed at this, "But I would love to sit down and talk about your team…especially that fascinating creature you just used."

Ash smiled lightly, "Not a problem."

*PTCW*

Several hours later, Ash and his friends were in the back of the pokemon center with Ash's complete team out so Professor Oak could study them. In addition to Electivire evolving, several of Ash's other members had changed as well. His original team line up went like this…Salamence as the head and starter, followed by Scizor, Alakazam, Electivire, Dragonite, Rhyperior, Gengar, Charizard, Snorlax, Kabutops, Armaldo, and finally Honchkrow. The newest additions from his journey consisted of Haxorus, Arbok, Milotic, Sceptile, Seviper, Flygon, Tyranitar, Larvitar, Gabite, and Suicune.

The Pallet Town native couldn't help but smile at his pokemon that had evolved during his absence, although he felt a little sad at not being the driving force behind Armaldo's evolution. He rewarded his girlfriend with a passionate kiss that left her dazed and in a stunned silence much to the amusement of everyone else. Professor Oak was like a kid in a candy store being able to observe and study so many rare pokemon…especially Suicune.

Ash recounted the story of the first time they battled and that since then, Suicune had been following him for a chance at a rematch. The battle came one year into Ash's dragon journey and Salamence had defeated the legend once again. This time, Suicune let Ash capture her and for the last year they have been training as a team.

"Ash, you do realize that you just set yourself that much higher than most trainers. Heck, even Elite Four members haven't been able to tackle a legendary and yet you have defeated one twice."

Ash shrugged at this, "I don't see it as a status. I see Suicune as a very powerful member of my team and I am very honored that she deemed me worthy of her power."

Dawn spoke up from where she was petting Ash's Milotic, "I'm not very familiar with the rules of the challenge. But aren't you restricted from using her?"

Ash nodded stiffly, "Just until I defeat the champion. Once he is defeated my type restriction will be lifted. The reason the type clause was put into effect was to test trainers who wanted to rise to that level. Upon defeated an Elite Four member, you can take their place in the ranking and so you have to have a type selection."

May put a finger on her chin, "So that means if you wanted, you could take Lance's position and be the head of the Elite Four?"

Ash nodded, "As appealing as it sounds I have a much higher target in my sights. If I become Champion I will finally defeat that fool of a man and be able to separate Kanto and Johto for the first time in years."

Oak spoke up, "That is a big challenge Ash. You would have to assemble your own Elite Four."

Ash nodded again and looked to Paul who was casually leaning against his Torterra, "I have a few people in mind. Paul has already agreed to head up my Elite Four by specializing in pokemon with dual typing. I have a trainer who is considering my offer since he also needs to select a type but I'm sure he will go with Normal type pokemon."

Ash went silent for a moment which caused Leaf to look at him, "Who else Ash?"

He smiled lightly, "You."

Leaf's eyes widened, "What?"

Her boyfriend nodded, "I want you to consider being an Elite Four member Leaf."

The brunette's eyes remained wide as she processed the information. Her heart was thumping a mile a minute and her mind was clouded over with a layer of fuzz.

Dawn squealed, "Oh my Arceus that would be so cute. You could be the Kanto Region power couple…powerful in pokemon and love." Dawn's eyes became little hearts as she imagined this future."

Leaf blushed deeply, "What type would I use?"

Ash smiled, "That is entirely up to you. Most people would use the type that they are closest to…or what their starter is."

Leaf thought for a moment, "So grass?"

Ash nodded, "Or poison, remember that the type restriction is only for while you compete in Elite Four matches. Outside you can use your normal team."

The dark trainer watched his girlfriend think before she started listing off names, "Let's see, I have Venasaur as my starter, Meganium, Roserade, Snover, Leafeon and my Cacturne."

Ash felt his jaw drop, "When did you get all those grass types?"

Leaf giggled, "It has been a while since we saw each other Ashy…I have captured pokemon while you were away."

Ash shook his head, "No kidding…while that is a nice base…I would suggest that you consider doing like I did and taking a trip to capture more grass type pokemon. The training aspect can come after I defeat my father."

Leaf was silent for another moment as she thought about it, "Does this mean I won't be able to continue my normal travels?"

Ash shook his head, "No, you can still go to other regions but you won't be able to use your Elite Four team unless it is a Champion level competition. Your normal team can still be used and you can still collect badges. But if you should have a challenge then you need to take care of that."

The brunette looked to her two friends who both were smiling at her. She looked at Ash and saw nothing but love and care for her which caused the girl to smile, "I'll do it."

**And there we go. The long awaited chapter 10 of Conflict within.**

**I'm sorry for the wait my friends but I am a full time Executive Chef in Green Bay so my time for writing is little. **

**But fear not…updates will continue and this story will be completed. **

**If you haven't already, go check out my other two pokemon stories and give some feedback….one of them happens to be the reboot of Facing the Past. **

**As always, send in ideas and reviews.**

**KingFatMan25**


End file.
